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Indian authorities have banned two highly-addictive opioids following a BBC investigation that revealed their contribution to a public health crisis in West Africa. Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, India's Drugs Controller General, confirmed the withdrawal of permission for their manufacture and export. The investigation uncovered that a pharmaceutical company, Aveo, was illegally exporting a dangerous combination of tapentadol and carisoprodol to countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote D'Ivoire. Subsequently, India's Food and Drug Administration raided Aveo's factory in Mumbai and seized its entire stock.
Dr. Raghuvanshi issued an immediate ban on the combination of tapentadol, a potent opioid, and carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant banned in Europe due to its addictive nature. His decision, influenced by a BBC investigation, also followed concerns raised by officials regarding potential drug abuse and its negative effects on public health. While carisoprodol is approved for short-term use in the U.S., its withdrawal symptoms can include anxiety, insomnia, and hallucinations. The combination of these two drugs is illegal worldwide due to risks of breathing complications, seizures, and overdose fatalities. Despite their dangers, they are commonly misused as street drugs in many West African countries due to their low cost and availability.
Export data indicates that Aveo Pharmaceuticals, along with its affiliate Westfin International, has sent millions of tablets to Ghana and other West African nations. The BBC World Service discovered Aveo-branded pills being sold on the streets of Nigeria and cities in Ivory Coast. Nigeria, with a population of 225 million, represents the largest market for these opioids, with an estimated four million Nigerians abusing various forms of the drug, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Additionally, during an investigation, the BBC sent an undercover operative posing as a businessman seeking to supply opioids to Nigeria into an Aveo factory in India, where they recorded one of the company's directors, Vinod Sharma, displaying the same hazardous products found in West Africa.
In secretly recorded footage, an operative reveals to Sharma that he plans to market pills to teenagers in Nigeria, claiming they "love this product." Sharma acknowledges this and mentions that taking two or three pills can lead to relaxation and getting "high." He later admits that the pills are "very harmful for health," but insists this is just business. Following an investigation, India's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized all of Aveo Pharmaceuticals' stock and halted further production. The FDA announced that legal actions will be pursued against the company and emphasized its commitment to combat illegal activities that could damage the country's reputation, while also initiating additional inspections to prevent the distribution of these drugs.
