New Delhi:

The Centre has banned the manufacturing and export of a dangerous combination of opioids following a BBC investigation that exposed their illegal distribution in West Africa. The drugs – Tapentadol and Carisoprodol – are highly addictive and linked to a growing public health crisis in Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote d’Ivoire. They were being illegally exported by Mumbai-based Aveo Pharmaceuticals.

India’s Drugs Controller General, Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, issued a circular on Friday, citing the BBC findings and the potential for drug abuse. The ban has been enforced with immediate effect. 

Tapentadol is a powerful opioid, while Carisoprodol is a muscle relaxant banned in Europe due to its high addiction potential. The combination of the two is not licensed anywhere in the world, as it can cause breathing issues, seizures, and even death.

India’s Food and Drug Administration has pledged further inspections to prevent the supply of these drugs. Legal action against Aveo Pharmaceuticals is also underway. “We are fully prepared to act against illegal activities that tarnish the reputation of the country,” the agency said.

Authorities also raided Aveo Pharmaceuticals’ Mumbai facility, seizing its entire stock. Publicly available export data showed that Aveo and its sister company, Westfin International, had shipped millions of these tablets to West African nations.

A BBC sting operation found that Aveo executives were aware of the drug’s misuse. In secretly recorded footage, a company director, Vinod Sharma, acknowledged the pills’ addictive effects and their popularity among Nigerian teenagers. When told that customers take multiple pills to get high, Sharma responded, “OK,” adding, “Nowadays, this is business.”

Nigeria, home to 225 million people, has one of the highest opioid abuse rates, with an estimated four million users. Investigators found Aveo-branded pills being openly sold on the streets of Nigeria and Ivoirian towns.