BBC’s World Service
BBCAn Indian Pharmaceutical Company is not licensed, more addictive opioids and exported it illegally in West Africa including Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote D’Ivoire, an eye investigation in BBC.
Aveo Pharmaceuticals, based in Mumbai, make a variety of pills to go under different brand names and wrapped in legitimate medications. But everyone has the same harmful mix of ingredients: Opioids strong, and carisoprodol, a relaxed muscle to attract it is forbidden in Europe.
This combination of drugs is not licensed for use anywhere in the world and can cause difficulties in breathing and seizures. An overdose can kill. Despite the risks, these opioids are popular as street drugs in many countries in West Africa, because they are more cheap and widespread available.
The BBC world service found the packages of them, marked by the aveo logo, sold by the streets of Ghanaian, Nigerian, and Ivoirian cities.
In track of medications back to Aveo’s factory in India, the BBC has sent an undercover operative within the factory, which sends as an African businessman watching the Opioids of Nigeria. Using a secret camera, BBC filmed is one of Aveo’s directors, Vinod Sharma, showing the same dangerous products found in the BBC in West Africa.
In the secret recorded footage, the operative told Sharma that his plan was to sell the pills of Nigeria teens “that all loves this product”. Sharma doesn’t fly. “OK,” he replied, before explaining that if users bring two or three pills once, they can “agree”. At the end of the meeting, Sharma said: “This is very bad for health, “add” now, it’s the business. “
It is a business that destroys health and destroys the potential of millions of youngsters in West Africa.
In Tamale town, in Northern Ghana, many young people carry illegal opioids one of the town stems Alhasyan citizens of local merchants from the streets from the streets.
“The drugs have consumed the influence of those who abuses them,” said loved one, “like a fire burning when the kerosene was poured out.” A tamale addict puts it very simple. The drugs, he said, there is “our life”.
The BBC team follows the Task Force as they jump on motorcycles and, follow a tip of a drug deal, launch a poor neighborhood of Tamale. As they passed by a young man dropped a stupor, according to the locals, it took drugs.
If the dealer was arrested, he carried a plastic bag full of green pills marked Tafrodol. Packages are sealed with a different Aveo Pharmaceutical logo.
It’s not just Tamale that the Pills of Aimo caused suffering. The BBC has found similar products, made by Aveo, caught by police elsewhere in Ghana.
We also find evidence that asao pills are sold to the streets of Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire, where teenagers have a drinking energy to increase.
Publicly displayed export data that Asao Pharmaceutical, with a Sister Company called Westfin International, millions of these Tablets of Ghana and other African countries.
Nigeria, with a population of 225 million people, gives the largest market for pills. It is estimated that about four million Nigerians abuses an opioid form, according to National Bureau of Statistics in Nigeria.
The Chairman of the drug and enforcement agency (NDEA), Brig Genhammed Baba Marwa, speaking BBC, every family, every Nigerian community “.
In 2018, followed by a BBC investigation into the BBC’s eye of opioids as street drugs, Nigerian authorities attempted to abolish an opioid painkiller called tramadol.
The government forbids tramadol selling without prescription, imposed restrictions at maximum dose, and destroyed imports of illegal pills. At the same time, Indian authorities prevented tramadol export regulations.
Shortly after this crackdown, Aveo Pharmaceuticals began to export a new tread pill, at least a strong opioid, mixed with muscle relaxation.
West Africa’s officials warning that opioid exporters appear using these new combination pills as a replacement of tramadol and to avoid crackdown.
At Asao’s factory there are cartons of drug combinations set up on top of each other, almost ceiling-high. On his desk, Vinod Sharma set the packet after tapen -rodol-carisoprodol companies including Tafrodol, as well as Taxata and Super Royal-225.
He told the undercover team of BBC “scientists” working in his factory can combine different drugs “make a new product”.
Aveo’s new product is dangerous than tramadol replaced it. According to Dr. Lekhansh Shukla, Assistant Profit of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in Bengaluru, India, Tap “including deep sleep.
“It can be deep enough for people, and that causes drug over drugs,” he explained. “And with that, you give another agent, carisoprodol, who also gives deep sleep, entertainment. It seems like a dangerous combination.”
Carisoprodol is forbidden in Europe because it is addictive. It has been approved for using the US but only for short periods of up to three weeks. Symptoms of withdrawal include anxiety, insomnia, and functions.
If mixed with tapentadol withdrawal is to withdraw “worse” compared to regular opioids, Dr. Shukla said. “It’s a painful experience.”
He said he did not know that there was no clinical attempts at the effectiveness of this combination. Unlike tramadol, legally for use limited doses, tapentadol-carisoprodol cocktail “is not as a reasonable combination”, he said. “This is not something licensed to use in our country.”
In India, pharmaceutical companies cannot be legal to companies and export non-licensed drugs unless these drugs keep the country’s import standards. The Aveo has sent Tafrodol and similar products to Ghana, which is a combination of tapentadol and carisoprodol, according to the National Ghana Enfurefency Agency, not licensed and illegal. By sending Taffrodol in Ghana, Aveo broke Indian law.
We put these allegations to Vinod Sharma and Aveo Pharmaceutical. They did not respond.
The Indian regulator regulator, CDSCO, tells us that the Indian government has known public responsibility and commissioned India with responsible pharmaceutisical regulations.
It has been added that exports from India to other countries have been closely examined and that the newly ended regulation is enforced. These imported countries are also called to support Indian efforts by making sure they have the same strong regulatory systems.
The CDSCO says this item in other countries, including those in West Africa, and committed to working with them to prevent mistakes. The regulator says this is immediate action against any pharmaceutical company involved in violation.
AVEO is not the only company in India and export to non-licensed opioids. The publicly applied to use export data other pharma companies that make similar products, and drugs with different branding widespreads available across Africa.
These manufacturers can damage the reputation of the rapid development of India industry, which makes high-quality medicines millions dependent on vaccines. Industrial export costs at least $ 28bn (£ 22bn) a year.
Talking about his meeting with Sharma, the undercover operatives of the BBC, whose identity should remain hidden, says: “I truly face … to the men of the root of the opioid crisis in the Africa, one of the men who actually made this product and send it to our countries by injury it is done but he does not care … it describes as business. “
Back to Tamale, Ghana, the BBC team follows the local Task Force in a final attack that has become more than Aveo’s Tafrodol. That night they gathered in a local park to burn their arrest.
“We burn it with an open glare for all that appears,” Zickay says, one of the leaders, as packages are being sent by the sellers and suppliers: If they get you, burn your Drugs “.
But even the flames destroyed several hundred packages of Tafrodol, the “sellers and suppliers” above this chain, three miles away – and many miles is a mileage- on India.
