News:
June 20, 2011
The Member of Parliament for Adenta, Kojo Adu- Asare has called on the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) to publish a list of genuine brands of Artesunate tablets which are wholesome for consumption by the general public.
He said this to a large extent would help the unsuspecting general public to differentiate between what drug is efficacious and one that could threaten the life of the user.
The MP’s comment follows a warning of the public by the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) about the sale of counterfeit Artesunate tablets on the market.
According to the Board, laboratory analyses conducted on the product revealed that it contained no active ingredient (Artesunate) therefore compromising its quality, safety and efficacy.
A statement released by the Board stated that “The counterfeit Artesunate Tablet with batch number 080504, had the manufacturers address as Guilin Pharmaceutical Co limited, No. 17 Shanghai Road, Guilin Guangxi, China, “The consumption of the product will therefore not provide any treatment of malaria, which can possibly result in serious complications and even death,” the statement said.
Speaking on Peace Fm’s Kokrokoo show on Monday, the Member of Parliament Adenta, Kojo Adu- Asare commended the FDB for the proactive manner in which they inform the public about the existence of such dangerous drugs on the market.
He blamed some Ghanaian importers for flooding the Ghanaian market with substandard drugs claiming that they import cheap and low quality drugs from China which does not have the same potency as the genuine brands, a situation he believes could injure the health of the public if not checked and urged the Food and Drugs Board to intensify its surveillance exercise.
Hon. Adu –Asare also suggested an acronym for drugs mostly used by the public to enable them especially those in the rural areas to easily mention and identify such drugs, example is( ACP) for acetylsalicylic acid, phenacetin, and caffeine; the mixture formerly used in headache and cold tablets.
Story by: Kwadwo Anim/ghanamps.gov.gh