A new investigation by the BBC World Service’s award-winning BBC Eye Investigations team has uncovered shocking evidence of an Indian pharmaceutical company, Aveo Pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and illegally exporting unlicensed, addictive opioids to West Africa, exacerbating the region’s opioid crisis.

The documentary, India’s Opioid Kings, exposes how Aveo Pharmaceuticals, based in Mumbai, produces a range of pills branded under various names, which are sold as legitimate medicines. However, these pills contain a dangerous and illegal combination of tapentadol, a powerful opioid, and carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant banned in Europe due to its highly addictive properties. These drugs are not licensed for use anywhere in the world and pose significant health risks, including breathing difficulties, seizures and potential fatal overdoses.

Despite the risks, the drugs have become widely available as street drugs in West Africa, with BBC Eye investigators finding packets bearing the Aveo logo on the streets of Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire. The documentary reveals how the drugs are fuelling a public health crisis in these countries, with many young people becoming addicted to opioids. The BBC’s undercover investigation traced the drugs back to Aveo’s factory in Mumbai. An undercover operative posed as an African businessman looking to supply opioids to Nigeria. During a secret meeting with Vinod Sharma, one of Aveo’s directors, the operative filmed Sharma explaining that the drugs, when taken in higher doses, could make users feel “relaxed” and “high.” Sharma openly admitted that the drugs were harmful but defended the practice, stating, “This is business.”
https://thenationonlineng.net/indian-pharma-firm-exposed-for-fuelling-west-africas-opioid-crisis/