Beware Of Fake Co-Artem Malaria Tabs On The Market

The Food and Drugs board (FOB) has asked the public, particularly malaria patients who have been supplied with co-artem tablets with batch number, X0089 and M1200 and are still in possession of them to discontinue its use and return them to the point of sale as they have been found to be fake.

Co-Artem tablets, are a class of medicines recommended by the World Health Organisation for the treatment of malaria.

However, a large quantity of counterfoil co-artem has inundated the Kumasi market, the FDB said at press briefing here yesterday.

Mr. Joseph Yaw-Bernie Bennie, Kumasi zonal officer of the FDB, said about 150 of the fake co-artem tablets had been retrieved from pharmaceutical shops in the Kumasi metropolis following an intensive two-week exercise.

He mentioned the names of the shops as Salom Pharmacy and Habmay Pharmacy at Kejetia and Asafo respectively which operate as wholesalers.

The retail pharmacies are, Marmax Ghana Limited, at Bantama, Partners Health Services, Bantama and New Tafo, Edikay Pharmacy, Buokrom Estates, Tracmar Pharmacy at Anwomaso and Fredimans at K.O.-Ashtown.

The rest, all licensed chemical sellers are Martin Owusu-Antwi at Tanoso and Augustine Evans Adu chemical shop at Old Tafo.

According to Mr. Bennie, the fake co-Artem contains three strips, each with eight tablets and sold at GH¢6.00 while the original one contains four strips with six tablets and sold at GH¢9.00.

Mr. Bennie said that the owners of the identified pharmaceutical shops would be arrested by the police and prosecuted because “it is a crime punishable under the Food and Drugs Law, (PNDC Law 305B) and Amendment Act 523(1996), to manufacture, distribute or offer for sale counterfeit and sub-standard medicines.”

The FDB as the National Medicines Regulatory Authority, had now adopted a “name and shame” approach to its anti-counterfeiting crusade to save as a deterrent to shops that deal in fake medicines.

Mr. Bennie expressed concern that counterfeiting, faking or unauthorized copying of products had become a big orgainsed crime with enormous repercussions on the society and the economy.

He noted that research-based reputable multinational pharmaceutical manufactures are reluctant to manufacture their products in counties where counterfeiting is rampant, as their intellectual property rights cannot be protected.

That, he explained makes developing nations lose out on foreign direct investment and foreign technological know-how.”

He pointed out that over the years the security and regulatory institutions had seized and destroyed large quantities of counterfeit product which culminated in the loss of government revenue with millions of Ghana Cedis besides the public health implications.

The Zonal Officer, called for a collaborative effort to fight counterfeiting and assured the public that the appropriate sanctions would be taken against all offenders.