The Opioid Crisis in West Africa is Being Fueled by Synthetic Pharmaceuticals from India
Since opioids are strictly restricted in many wealthy nations, Indian pharmaceutical companies are aggressively entering Africa and contributing to an expanding crisis. They are readily available in roadside kiosks and street pharmacies throughout West Africa, and they come in blister packs of ten, just like any other painkiller.
Officials and researchers told AFP that millions of Indian tapentadol tablets are being mixed to the “zombie drug” kush, which is fueling the region’s deadly opioid crisis. No regulatory body in the world has approved the inexpensive tablets because they are so potent.
Despite New Delhi’s pledge to crack down on the trade, an AFP investigation revealed that Indian pharmaceutical companies were flooding West Africa with the drugs. “Harmless Medicines for Human Consumption” was even the label on some shipments.
According to customs records, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Ghana, where even little amounts of the substance are prohibited, get millions of dollars’ worth of the potent synthetic opioid every month from India.
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