India has banned the manufacture and export of the highly addictive opioids tapentadol and carisoprodol after an investigative report exposed their role in a growing drug crisis in West Africa. The move comes after a BBC investigation revealed that Mumbai-based Aveo Pharmaceuticals was illegally exporting the drug combination to countries including Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast. Secretly recorded footage showed an Aveo director admitting the drugs were “very harmful” but profitable. Following the revelation, authorities raided the companys factory, seizing its stock. The Indian health ministry announced on Sunday that it had initiated the process to revoke export and manufacturing licenses for the combination, calling the drugs a serious health risk. The ministry also suspended all operations by Aveo after an audit conducted by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and the Maharashtra state regulatory authority. Approximately 1.3 crore tablets and 26 batches of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients of tapentadol and carisoprodol were detained to prevent further distribution of these potentially dangerous drugs, the ministry said in a statement. Indias Food and Drugs Administration vowed stricter monitoring to prevent future illegal exports and protect the countrys pharmaceutical industry. The Drugs Controller General, Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, stated that permission to manufacture and export the combination had been withdrawn due to its high potential for abuse and harmful effects. Authorities say the combination of tapentadol, a potent opioid, and carisoprodol, an addictive muscle relaxant, is already banned for medical use in India due to its severe health risks, including breathing difficulties, seizures, and fatal overdoses. Despite this, the drugs have been flooding West African markets, particularly Nigeria, where an estimated four million people abuse opioids. The World Health Organization estimates that 100,000 people in Africa die annually due to “falsified or substandard” medications. The BBC investigation found that Aveo and its sister company, Westfin International, had shipped millions of these pills to West Africa, where they were openly sold on the streets. In a secretly recorded exchange, Aveo director Vinod Sharma acknowledged the dangers of the pills, stating, This is very harmful to the health, before admitting, Nowadays, this is business. When an undercover BBC operative posed as an African businessman and suggested selling the pills to Nigerian teenagers, Sharma replied, OK. He also explained that taking two or three pills at once would allow users to “relax” and get “high.” In response to the allegations, Aveo Pharmaceuticals issued a statement rejecting the claims as “entirely baseless and without merit,” insisting that the company had always adhered to regulations. However, the national drug regulator clarified that while tapentadol and carisoprodol are individually approved in India, their combination is not. Officials emphasized that several companies in India were producing similar illegal combinations and that legal action was being pursued against them.The post India bans drugs blamed for opioid crisis in Nigeria and other countries appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.India bans drugs blamed for opioid crisis in Nigeria and other countries
India has banned the manufacture and export of the highly addictive opioids tapentadol and carisoprodol after an investigative report exposed their role in a growing drug crisis in West Africa. The move comes after a BBC investigation revealed that Mumbai-based Aveo Pharmaceuticals was illegally exporting the drug combination to countries including Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast. Secretly recorded footage showed an Aveo director admitting the drugs were “very harmful” but profitable. Following the revelation, authorities raided the companys factory, seizing its stock. The Indian health ministry announced on Sunday that it had initiated the process to revoke export and manufacturing licenses for the combination, calling the drugs a serious health risk. The ministry also suspended all operations by Aveo after an audit conducted by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and the Maharashtra state regulatory authority. Approximately 1.3 crore tablets and 26 batches of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients of tapentadol and carisoprodol were detained to prevent further distribution of these potentially dangerous drugs, the ministry said in a statement. Indias Food and Drugs Administration vowed stricter monitoring to prevent future illegal exports and protect the countrys pharmaceutical industry. The Drugs Controller General, Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, stated that permission to manufacture and export the combination had been withdrawn due to its high potential for abuse and harmful effects. Authorities say the combination of tapentadol, a potent opioid, and carisoprodol, an addictive muscle relaxant, is already banned for medical use in India due to its severe health risks, including breathing difficulties, seizures, and fatal overdoses. Despite this, the drugs have been flooding West African markets, particularly Nigeria, where an estimated four million people abuse opioids. The World Health Organization estimates that 100,000 people in Africa die annually due to “falsified or substandard” medications. The BBC investigation found that Aveo and its sister company, Westfin International, had shipped millions of these pills to West Africa, where they were openly sold on the streets. In a secretly recorded exchange, Aveo director Vinod Sharma acknowledged the dangers of the pills, stating, This is very harmful to the health, before admitting, Nowadays, this is business. When an undercover BBC operative posed as an African businessman and suggested selling the pills to Nigerian teenagers, Sharma replied, OK. He also explained that taking two or three pills at once would allow users to “relax” and get “high.” In response to the allegations, Aveo Pharmaceuticals issued a statement rejecting the claims as “entirely baseless and without merit,” insisting that the company had always adhered to regulations. However, the national drug regulator clarified that while tapentadol and carisoprodol are individually approved in India, their combination is not. Officials emphasized that several companies in India were producing similar illegal combinations and that legal action was being pursued against them.The post India bans drugs blamed for opioid crisis in Nigeria and other countries appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.
