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Health News of Monday, 16 December 2013

Source: The Informer

Tobinco using MoH Bill of Lading to import fake condoms?

There is some level of uneasiness at Ghana’s Ministry of Health, this paper’s intelligence sources have hinted.

The situation, The Informer had learnt, has been occasioned following concerns as regards the usage of the Ministry’s Bill of Lading by a private Pharmaceutical Company to import condoms.

Patriotic Ghanaians with the aforementioned ministry want to know whether the Minister of Health, Ms. Hanny-Sherry Ayittey, was in the know that the company was using the ministry’s Bill of Lading to import the HIT MAN condoms found by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to be fake, which Tobinco had won a sole source tender to import.

One of their worries is that, the Minister responsible for such a sensitive sector appears not bothered by media revelations on the issue; but rather interested in trying to frustrate the regulatory body from doing its job on Tobinco.

There is credible documentation to the effect that, the 425 cartons of HIT MAN flavored condoms imported by Tobinco Pharmaceutical Company Limited were cleared from the Tema Port, using the Ministry of Health Bill of Lading.

Documents on hand indicate that, the voyage number and that of the bill of lading were EP9542 and IN3296408 respectively.

The Banana, Strawberry, Vanilla and Chocolate flavours of the HIT MAN condoms were said to have been released by Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Company Limited, though the FDA had warned them not to do so.

However, The Informer will be revealing in due course, how Ms Sherry Ayittey, if not checked, will be frustrating the FDA’s attempts to prevent companies from flooding Ghanaian markets with unapproved drugs.