The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) on Monday alerted the general public of fake anti-malaria medicine, Sulfadoxine 500mg/Pyrimethamine 25mg, believed to be in circulation in the West Africa sub-region.
The FDA said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday that the caution was received from the World Health Organization information exchange system and that the fake medicine was found on the Cameroon market.
The fake Sulfadoxine 500mg/Pyrimethamine 25mg tablet has the following details; Batch Number:1833, Manufacturing Date: 02. 2011, Expiry Date: 02. 2014, Presentation: 1000 tablet container, Manufacturer: Rivopharm Laboratories, CH-6926 MANNO, SWITZORLAND.
The statement said, in addition, the counterfeiters got their spelling wrong by writing Switzorland instead of Switzerland.
Laboratory screening showed that the medicine did not contain any Pyrimethamine as indicated on the label.
Pyrimethamine is one of the active ingredients expected to be in the medicine to make it effective while Sulfadoxine/Pyrimethamine is used to prevent malaria during pregnancy.
�There is however an on-going post market surveillance activity nationwide by the FDA, which has so far indicated the absence of the said fake anti-malaria tablet on the Ghanaian market,� the statement said.
The general public, particularly pharmacies, hospitals, clinics and licensed chemical shops, had been cautioned to be on the lookout for the fake anti-malaria medicine.
�Any individual or facility which may have in possession the aforementioned fake medicine should hand them over to the nearest FDA office,� the statement said.
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