At press time on Thursday, the Food and Drugs Board has issued a statement alerting the public of the presence of fake coartem malaria tablets in Kumasi.

The statement said the confirmatory tests on the fake products have shown that the fake Coartem tablets do not contain Artemether and Lumefantrine, the main active ingredients of the original and genuine Coartem tablet.

This means that most of the people in Kumasi and the Ashanti Region in general who had taken or are taking the fake tablet derived no benefit from it, since counterfeit medications can be hazardous to the point of being deadly. It might not be in Kumasi alone, definitely, the drugs passed through Accra to Kumasi.

The FDB directed all pharmacies, licensed chemical stores and healthcare facilities to recall the fake drugs from their shelves and dispensaries. Health care workers have also been directed to assist patients and customers to distinguish genuine coartem from the counterfeit. This newspaper wonders why the FDB thinks a mere press release can compel pharmacists and dispensaries to comply with this directive.

The FDB knows more than anyone that the drug counterfeit business is a multi-million dollar business globally, which is gaining roots in Ghana, the emerging gateway to everything.

It has been estimated that up to 15% of all sold drugs are fake, and in parts of Africa this figure exceeds 50%, which paints a grim picture of health delivery in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa. China is emerging as a source country of counterfeit drugs . India and other Asian countries are emerging as sources. As Ghana’s trade with China and India is increasing each year, our authorities must keep a close eye on drugs from the two countries.

Read the rest of this article on fake drugs in Ghana.