Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Delese Darko
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), with the assistance of the police, have arrested some peddlers of unregistered medicines.
The said medicines, known as, Nkoyo and Nnompe Nnompe tablets are sold as herbal preparations and claim to treat pain and inflammatory diseases.
The FDA in a release signed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Delese Darko, said its laboratory analysis of the said tablets revealed that each container had a steroid and an anti-inflammatory tablet.
“These unregistered drugs contain active ingredients classified as prescription-only medicines in unknown quantities,” the release said.
The FDA further indicated that the product may also contain other unknown substances and warned that the continuous use of these products without proper prescriptions and guidance can lead to serious adverse health effects such as headaches, stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness, depression, high blood pressure, indigestion, restlessness, black or tarry stool and insomnia.
The FDA noted that it is assisting the security agencies in their investigations to ensure that all those involved are apprehended and dealt with appropriately.
The authority urged the public to be cautious of the operations of peddlers of drugs in the open market and through other unapproved means and rather deal with only licensed pharmacies for all their prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines to avoid incidences of substandard and falsified medicines.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri