The Head of the Drug Enforcement Department at the Food and Drugs Authority, Thomas Amedzro, has cautioned the public against buying drugs from unauthorized vendors, in the wake of the cholera outbreak and the Ebola scare.
He said the sale of drugs to the sick by unaccredited vendors is a “menace” that must to be checked.
Mr. Amedzro was speaking at the launch of an application by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana in Accra called, ‘PREVENT,’ an acronym for Patient’s Research Empowerment Vigilance and Education through New Technologies.
The application is designed to prevent as many fake and counterfeit medicines as possible from entering the Ghanaian market through a text message system.
The country has been hit with an outbreak of cholera, with over 5,000 cases recorded in the Greater Accra Region, leading to the deaths of about 50 people.
Cases of cholera have also been recorded in other parts of the country, including the Central and Asahnti regions.
Mr. Amedzro, speaking to Citi News, said the creation of the application was “a step in the right direction,” and will go a long way in dealing with the problem of fake drugs.
“Traceability is one of the key factors involved in detecting medicines of compromised quality and safety on the market.
“We want to know the origin of the medicines.”
Mr. Amedzro however, warned that the application would only guarantee the source of the medicines and not their quality.
“It’s not like it’s a solution for the problem of medicine of compromised quality and safety.
“But, it is an addition, a contribution to the fight against the menace of substandard medicines in the country,” he added.
By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana