Importer of fake anti-malaria drug apologises to Ghanaian authorities
The Executive Chairman of Tobinco Pharmaceutical Limited and his partner Bliss GVS Pharma- India, have apologised to the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) for importing fake Malaria Medicine to Ghana to treat, malaria in children.
The two partners Mr. Samuel Tobbin and the Director of Bliss GVS Pharma, India, Mr. S. N. Kamath, in two separate letters, signed an undertaking dated 26th September 2013, not to import or distribute unregistered or fake medicines onto the Ghanaian market.
This was contained in a statement issued and signed by the Chief Executive of FDA, Dr Stephen Opuni and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday.
It said the undertaken was written after Tobinco Pharmaceuticals admitted importing into Ghana a fake anti-malarial medicine for children called Gsunate Plus, a suppository, which is manufactured in India by BLISS GVS Pharmaceutical Limited.
“The Director of Bliss GVS Pharmaceuticals confessed to the FDA that Gsunate Plus Suppository is fake and that no Clinical Trial study has been conducted on it and also admitted that it is not used to treat Malaria in children in India although malaria is prevalent in India”.
The Executive Chairman of Tobinco Pharmaceuticals and the Director of Bliss GVS Pharma are assisting the FDA and the BNI in investigations.
The FDA has therefore seized and destroyed large consignments of unregistered medicines from the Regional Medical Stores and hospitals in the Volta, Upper West, Western, Ashanti and Eastern Regions.
Out of the over 100 medicines imported and distributed by Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Limited, only seven have duly been given approval by the FDA. The approved medicines are; Nifin 20-R Tablets, Slipizem 2.5mg Suppository, Slipizem 5mg Suppository, Lonart tablets, Lonart Forte Tablets, Lonart Oral Suspension and Ciprotab Tablets.
The statement, however, cautioned the general public not to patronise any other medicines from Tobinco Pharmaceuticals and Bliss GVS Pharma-India, since their Efficacy, Safety and Quality could not be guaranteed.
The statement said it will welcome information from the general public on persons in any practice possible of endangering public health and safety with respect to FDA’s mandate and urged the public to contact numbers; 0244337235, 0246809509, 0544863418, 0244571563 or 0244337250 for any information.
Source: GNA
Too bad no one will write about the bribes received by FDA leaders, because if this happened in any other continent, Mr. Tobbin and Mr. Kamath would be fined and/or put in jail for endangering children’s lives. I wonder how many cedis it took to get away with “just writing a letter.” Probably not many.