Upper East Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has issued a warning about a specific type of Postinor 2 contraceptive pill featuring a pink flower label, stating that it is not registered with the FDA.
Mr. Abel Ndego, the Principal Regulatory Officer, explained that while Postinor 2 is commonly known and used to prevent pregnancies, this particular version has not undergone the necessary regulatory checks by the FDA.
As a result, the FDA cannot confirm the safety or effectiveness of the pink flower-labelled Postinor 2 since it has not passed through the Authority’s approval process, which ensures drugs meet safety standards.
“We have also undertaken quality product monitoring of this particular product, and we have noticed that the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient that should instigate the ability of the product to prevent pregnancy is not at the required value.
“And so once you use it, you would not get the needed pharmaceutical implication,” Mr Ndego said when he addressed participants at the Regional launch of the Goodlife Health Fair in Bolgatanga.
The three-day Fair was held by the Regional Health Directorate in partnership with the Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC), which is a consortium partner involved in the USAID Accelerating Social and Behaviour Change (ASBC) initiative.
The event aimed to enhance public health and wellness by promoting behavioural changes and improving access to essential healthcare services.
It was on the theme: “Promoting good health through uptake of positive health behaviour.”
Mr Ndego admonished members of the public to buy pharmaceutical products from accredited licenced pharmacies and over-the-counter sale outlets, saying, “This way, you are sure that you are buying registered products and the products are stored under the requisite storage conditions.”
According to him, the efficacy of medicines was directly linked to storage: “Storage affects medicine efficacy very seriously. We have medicines that are supposed to be in a cool chain. They should be refrigerated.”
Mr. Ndego pointed out that many people tend to store syrup medications for children on kitchen shelves rather than in refrigerators, highlighting that the kitchen’s temperature could compromise the medicine’s effectiveness.
During the Fair, the Principal Regulator, along with several FDA officials, showcased unregulated pharmaceutical products to raise awareness among attendees about the risks associated with such items. He noted that numerous products are available in the market that falsely claim to cure various ailments.
Showing one of such unregistered products with images of male sexual organs on it, the Principal Regulator said, “Even the packaging alone will tell you that this has not been approved by the FDA, because we would not allow this kind of obscene picture on a product.
“But these are products that you would be surprised at the calibre of people who are purchasing them in the name of strengthening and elongating their organs. These have very dire health consequences for us,” he cautioned.