₦airaland Forum

Blacklisting of Aveo Pharmaceuticals and Banning of Tapentadol and Carisoprodol Combination – Tafrodol or Royal 225

A company named Aveo Pharmaceuticals, based in the outskirts of Mumbai, managed by Vinod Sharma is involved in the production, sale and exportation of a range of addiction pills containing a harmful mix of Tapentadol (a powerful opioid), and Carisoprodol, a banned muscle relaxant with addictive properties that can cause overdose, or death. The mix comes as Tafrodol or Royal 225.

The BBC World Service investigation revealed that packets of these brands, branded with the Aveo logo, have been on sale on the streets of Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote D’Ivoire towns and cities. Aveo Pharmaceuticals, India is also implicated in the manufacture of high dose tramadol for export to countries in West Africa, including Nigeria.

This press briefing is to inform the public that NAFDAC has never registered Tafrodol or Royal 225 or a strength of tramadol greater that 100 mg (the prescription strength), or any product manufactured by Aveo Pharmaceuticals Pvt Limited. Therefore, drawing from the NAFDAC Act Cap N.1 LFN 2004 and the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act Cap C.34 LFN 2004, NAFDAC has decided to BLACKLIST AVEO Pharmaceuticals Pvt Limited. We have also put in place measures to prevent future registration of any product manufactured by this company.

The public is therefore advised to support NAFDAC’s fight against fake, substandard and falsified pharmaceutical products. They are also advised to avoid the use of unregistered products and consumption of medicines without prescription from trained medical practitioners. This is to assure the public that NAFDAC will continue to deploy various methods to ensure that only quality, safe and efficacious medicines are available for distribution, sale and use within Nigeria.

An undercover operative sent inside the factory, posing as an African businessman looking to supply opioids to Nigeria with a hidden camera recorded his interaction with Vinod Sharma who confessed to exportation of large consignments of these combination of drugs across West Africa and their distribution for abuse as street drugs and opioids.

This combination of drugs is not licensed for use anywhere in the world, neither is it registered by NAFDAC and can cause breathing difficulties and seizures. An overdose can kill. Despite the risks, these opioids are popular as street drugs in many West African countries, because they are so cheap and widely available.

NAFDAC has consistently worked to ensure that public health is protected through the entrenchment of International best practices during product registration, which include dossier reviews, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspections, and laboratory analysis of products intended for registration. We also have Post Marketing Surveillance activities and Pre-shipment Inspection Scheme also called the Clean Report of Inspection and Analysis (CRIA) Scheme for high-risk countries like India.

These measures are there to support NAFDAC’s efforts at prevention of import and distribution of substandard, fake, and falsified pharmaceutical products in Nigeria.

Key findings

1️⃣ Aveo Pharmaceuticals, India, managed by Vinod Sharma is involved in the production and illegal exportation of Tapentadol to countries in West Africa, including Nigeria.

2️⃣ Aveo Pharmaceuticals is implicated in the manufacture and illegal exportation of Tramadol doses above 100mg, particularly 250mg.

3️⃣ The illegal opioid brands come in different brand names such as Tafrodol, Royal-225 etc.

4️⃣ The illegal brands carry the logo of Aveo pharmaceuticals.

5️⃣ The illegal opioids are street drugs causing opioid dependence in Nigeria, Ghana and other West African countries.

We have intensified our enforcement activities against the sale of illicit and counterfeit pharmaceuticals across major distribution channels and hubs across the country and this will continue to happen to make Nigeria an uncomfortable place to engage in such unethical and unapproved distribution of fake, substandard and falsified pharmaceutical products. We are also working with other regulatory authorities and security agencies to curb the entry into Nigeria through our borders and thereby prevent the distribution and circulation of these dangerous products.

With the partnership of the public, NAFDAC will continue to carry out the major mandate of safeguarding the health of Nigerians.

Thank you.

Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye FAS
Director General

Konquest:
NAFDAC Arrests 40 Persons Linked To Sale Of Unregistered Medication

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p42uD4eHGtk?si=Qc2hc-4wIVGJMfxK
TVC News Nigeria · Feb 23 2025

Ishilove:
It seems NAFDAC has woken up after so many years of slumber.

We must commend the DG for her drive and commitment to kick all this fake shiit off the streets. I wonder what all the previous DGs after Mrs Akunyili have been doing.

naptu2:
Previous threads

India Bans Two Opioids Behind Drug Crisis In Nigeria, Ghana & Ivory Coast
https://www.nairaland.com/8350274/india-bans-two-opioids-behind

NAFDAC Evacuates 50 Truckloads Of Fake Drugs From Onitsha Market, Recovers Rifle
https://www.nairaland.com/8359453/nafdac-evacuates-50-truckloads-fake

NAFDAC Impounds 10 Trucks Of Fake Drugs In Anambra Market (photo)
https://www.nairaland.com/8343336/nafdac-impounds-10-trucks-fake

Nigerian Army Shut Down Six Major Markets In Anambra Over Fake Drugs
https://www.nairaland.com/8345612/nigerian-army-shut-down-six

Fake Drugs: Peter Obi Explains Stance On His Comments
https://www.nairaland.com/8346191/fake-drugs-peter-obi-explains

NAFDAC Finds Banned Drugs In Plumbing Materials Shops At Onitsha Market (Videos)
https://www.nairaland.com/8349638/nafdac-finds-banned-drugs-plumbing

Governor Soludo Visits Onitsha Market, Commends NAFDAC
https://www.nairaland.com/8349661/governor-soludo-visits-onitsha-market

NAFDAC DG Inspects Drugs Seized At Idumota Market
https://www.nairaland.com/8349669/nafdac-dg-inspects-drugs-seized

NAFDAC Shuts Down Over 11,000 Medicine Shops, Confiscates Trillions In Fake Drug
https://www.nairaland.com/8351087/nafdac-shuts-down-over-11000



NAFDAC Officials & Policemen Attacked At Onitsha Market (2019 Incident)
https://www.nairaland.com/8351295/nafdac-officials-policemen-attacked-onitsha

Konquest:
Thanks @Naptu for these concise updates.

Gosh! Leaving all these counterfeit and illicit drugs to get into the public space would have prematurely terminated the lives of innocent folks.

Big props to NAFDAC and the 1,000 men from the security and intelligence agencies who carried out these major sting operations.

The criminal cartels that produce counterfeit drugs, counterfeit wines, counterfeit malt drinks, illegal methamphetamine hard drugs productions in laboratories in detected by NAFDAC and security agents in places such as VGC in Ajah, Satellite Town, Ajao Estate, Ibadan New Site all in Lagos State run by some Anambra-born criminals pretending to be legitimate Alabama International millionaire traders, and illegal methamphetamine labs in Asaba, Nnewi, Ozubulu, Obosi, etc, must be ruthlessly taken down!

I have always favored the death penalty for decades for these crimes and the warrior NAFDAC DG is saying the same thing. Nigerian lawmakers and Governors must STOP being enablers of crime and sign the death warrants. They can introduce lethal injections and electric chair executions as capital punishments if they don't want to see blood.

Ishilove:
It seems NAFDAC has woken up after so many years of slumber.

We must commend the DG for her drive and commitment to kick all this fake shiit off the streets. I wonder what all the previous DGs after Mrs Akunyili have been doing.

Redoil:
this are drugs that kills stronger pains
why ban the drugs rather than restrict it to hospitals like most sleeping drugs

For more than a decade, West Africa has been in the grip of an opioid crisis.

But who’s making these illegal, dangerous pills?

#BBCAfricaEye and #BBCEye go undercover to investigate.

🎥 Watch the documentary "India's Opioid Kings" here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji6tjiRjbok?si=8Ens9qttyNA9I9K3

India’s Opioid Kings: Pharmaceutical Firm Behind West Africa’s Drug Crisis Unmasked

By Royal Ibeh

A shocking BBC Eye Investigation has uncovered how an Indian pharmaceutical company, Aveo Pharmaceuticals, was illegally manufacturing and exporting highly addictive opioids to West Africa, fueling a growing public health crisis.

The Mumbai-based company produced unlicensed pills containing a dangerous combination of tapentadol, a potent opioid, and carisoprodol, a banned muscle relaxant. These drugs, marketed under various brand names, were being widely sold on the streets of Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire, despite being illegal in these countries.

A BBC undercover operative, posing as a Nigerian businessman, infiltrated Aveo’s factory and secretly filmed a company director, Vinod Sharma, openly promoting the dangerous pills.

In the footage published by the BBC, Sharma acknowledged the harmful effects of the drugs but dismisses concerns, saying, “This is very harmful for their health—but nowadays, this is business.”

The devastating impact of the opioids is evident in West Africa. In Tamale, Ghana, an increasing number of young people are addicted to the drugs, prompting local chief Alhassan Maham to form a volunteer task force to seize and destroy illicit pills.

In Nigeria, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), warned that opioids are “devastating our youths, our families, and every community in Nigeria.”

According to BBC World Service/BBC Eye report, “Indian law prohibits the manufacture and export of unlicensed drugs unless they meet the importing country’s regulations, however, Aveo has been shipping these opioids to Ghana, violating Indian and international drug laws. The Indian drug regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), stated that the government was committed to preventing illegal pharmaceutical exports and has pledged to take immediate action against any companies involved in malpractice.”

Officials from Nigeria’s drug enforcement agencies, including NAFDAC and the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN), confirmed that efforts were underway to crack down on illegal opioid distribution network. Recent raids in Lagos State and other cities have led to multiple arrests and the seizure of billions of naira worth of illicit drugs.

Public health advocates are calling for stronger diplomatic pressure on India to hold Aveo Pharmaceuticals accountable.

For instance, the executive director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Akinbode Oluwafemi, emphasised the need for punitive action, stating, “If you don’t get punished for a crime, you will do it again.”

The BBC’s findings have sparked outrage, with calls for tighter international controls on pharmaceutical exports. As the crisis deepens, authorities in West Africa continue to battle the influx of illegal opioids, hoping to protect future generations from the devastating consequences of addiction.

India bans two opioids behind crisis in West Africa

23 February 2025
Vicky Wong
BBC News

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/3372/live/550c3520-f1b6-11ef-9e61-71ee71f26eb1.jpg
Mumbai-based Aveo had been selling the addictive combination in West Africa

Indian authorities have banned two highly-addictive opioids in response to a BBC investigation which found they were fuelling a public health crisis in parts of West Africa.

In a letter seen by the BBC from India's Drugs Controller General, Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi said permission to manufacture and export the drugs had been withdrawn.

BBC Eye found one pharmaceutical company, Aveo, had been illegally exporting a harmful mix of tapentadol and carisoprodol in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote D'Ivoire.

India's Food and Drug Administration said the company's factory in Mumbai had since been raided and its entire stock seized.

The circular from Dr Raghuvanshi, dated to Friday, cited the BBC investigation in his decision to ban all combinations of tapentadol and carisoprodol, which was to be implemented with immediate effect.

He said this also came after officials had looked into "the potential of drug abuse and its harmful impact on population".

Tapentadol is a powerful opioid, and carisoprodol is a muscle relaxant so addictive it is banned in Europe.

Carisoprodol is approved for use in the US, but only for short periods of up to three weeks. Withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, insomnia and hallucinations.

The combination of the two drugs is not licensed for use anywhere in the world as they can cause breathing difficulties and seizures and an overdose can kill.

Despite the risks, these opioids are popular street drugs in many West African countries, because they are so cheap and widely available.

Despite the risks, these opioids are popular street drugs in many West African countries, because they are so cheap and widely available.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/6dc5/live/925f8f20-f1b7-11ef-9e61-71ee71f26eb1.jpg
Nigerian authorities store illegal drugs they have seized - mostly opioids - in a warehouse in Lagos

Publicly-available export data show that Aveo Pharmaceuticals, along with a sister company called Westfin International, has shipped millions of these tablets to Ghana and other West African countries.

The BBC World Service also found packets of these pills with the Aveo logo for sale on the streets of Nigeria, and in Ivoirian towns and cities.

Nigeria, with a population of 225 million people, provides the biggest market for these pills. It has been estimated that about four million Nigerians abuse some form of opioid, according to the nation's National Bureau of Statistics.

As part of the investigation, the BBC also sent an undercover operative - posing as an African businessman looking to supply opioids to Nigeria - inside one of Aveo's factories in India, where they filmed one of Aveo's directors, Vinod Sharma, showing off the same dangerous products the BBC found for sale across West Africa.

Filmed secretly, Vinod Sharma said Aveo's cocktail drug was "very harmful", adding "this is business".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji6tjiRjbok?si=8Ens9qttyNA9I9K3

In the secretly recorded footage, the operative tells Sharma that his plan is to sell the pills to teenagers in Nigeria "who all love this product".

Sharma in response replies "OK," before explaining that if users take two or three pills at once, they can "relax" and agrees they can get "high".

Towards the end of the meeting, Sharma says: "This is very harmful for the health," adding that "nowadays, this is business".

Sharma and Aveo Pharmaceuticals did not respond to a request for comment when the BBC's initial investigation was published.

India's Food and Drug Administration said a sting operation saw Aveo's entire stock seized and further production halted in a statement on Friday. Further legal action will be taken against the company, it added.

The agency said it was "fully prepared" to take action against anyone involved in "illegal activities that tarnish the reputation of the country".
The FDA has been instructed to carry out further inspections to prevent the supply of the drugs, it said.

naptu2:
https://nafdac.gov.ng/blacklisting-of-aveo-pharmaceuticals-and-banning-of-tapentadol-and-carisoprodol-combination-tafrodol-or-royal-225/

Ishilove:
It seems NAFDAC has woken up after so many years of slumber.

We must commend the DG for her drive and commitment to kick all this fake shiit off the streets. I wonder what all the previous DGs after Mrs Akunyili have been doing.

Ishilove:
It seems NAFDAC has woken up after so many years of slumber.

We must commend the DG for her drive and commitment to kick all this fake shiit off the streets. I wonder what all the previous DGs after Mrs Akunyili have been doing.

georgeakins:
NAFDAC has always been working. Just that the DG does not believe in media propaganda.

Tranquillity360:
Criminal NAFDAC.




Na God will punish the woman and his criminals officers.



The NAFDAC officer that took and pocketed two packets of my friend Drugs When they're taking away his goods in the name of fake, saying that's the medicine they are buying for their mother.
She better not give her mother that medicine Because the mother must die if she give her that medicine.



And for the NAFDAC woman and his officers,any day you fall sick and rush abroad to be treated with unregistered drugs, the same original foreign drugs you seized and destroy in Nigeria,
You will never get better but start dying slowly.







Yes I support fight against fake drugs and dangerous hard drugs,anyone caught and confirmed the drugs is fake should be jailed.