FDA alerts public on fake Coartem

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), has warned that there are some fake Coartem tablets in circulation in some Western and Central African countries and are likely to have infiltrated the Ghanaian market.

Coartem is a registered anti-malarial medicine manufactured by Novartis.

A press handout copied to the GNA said the details of the fake batches of Coartem tablets are as follows; Batch Number: F1901, Expiry Date: 01.2114, Manufacturing date: 01.2012.

The packaging is in English and bears a falsified stamp of the Nigerian National Medicines Regulatory Agency, NAFDAC. Batch Number: F2261, Expiry Date : 01.2014, Manufacturing Date : 01.2012.

According the FDA, the alert was received from the World Health Organisation (WHO) information exchange system.

It said an ongoing post market surveillance activity nationwide by the FDA has not as yet detected the presence of the said Coartem Tablets on the Ghanaian market.

“The general public, especially importers, distributors and retailers of pharmaceutical products are to take note of the aforementioned batches of Coartem tablets and avoid patronizing or stocking them”.

The FDA said any individual or facility having possession of the aforementioned batches should hand them over to the nearest FDA office.

It assured the general public of FDA's readiness to ensure public health and safety at all times and appealed for information on peoples suspected to be in any practice possible of endangering public health and safety through any of the following contacts: 0244337235, 0208204968 or 0246809509.