FDA destroys ₵42m worth of counterfeit drugs in Volta Region

By Rebecca Okine

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in the Volta Region has destroyed counterfeit pharmaceuticals and other unapproved products valued at GH₵42 million, most of which were intercepted at the Akanu border with Togo.

The seized items included aphrodisiacs, emergency contraceptives, body enhancement drugs, antibiotics, and processed foods. While a large quantity was confiscated during smuggling attempts, others were seized during market surveillance operations across both the Volta and Oti regions.

To ensure safe disposal, the products were shredded, disinfected, and incinerated at the Jospong Group’s Medical Waste Treatment Facility in Akrofu.

Explaining the process, FDA Volta Regional Director Gordon Akurugu said the authority partnered with the treatment facility to guarantee the proper and safe destruction of the counterfeit drugs.

“We decided to engage the services of the facility to ensure the appropriate disposal of the confiscated counterfeit pharmaceutical products,” he said.

Mr. Akurugu warned against importing medicines through land borders, emphasizing that pharmaceutical imports are only allowed through designated entry points such as Kotoka International Airport or the Tema port.

“Pharmaceutical products are not supposed to move through inland borders. If you want to import drugs into the country, it has to be through KIA or Tema ports,” he stressed.

Mr. Akurugu also urged consumers to avoid buying medicines from unapproved vendors, citing serious health risks.

“You see counterfeit Procold, Postinor 2, and many aphrodisiacs. These products are brought in to deceive us. You may take them thinking they will work, but they can have harmful health effects,” he cautioned.