Indian Pharma's Role in West Africa’s Dire Opioid Crisis Revealed

A BBC Eye investigation has unveiled how Aveo Pharmaceuticals, an Indian company, is manufacturing unlicensed opioids and distributing them across West Africa, particularly in Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d'Ivoire. The addictive substances, posing substantial health risks, are sold widely in these countries, prompting severe social repercussions and community actions against drug dealers.

An investigation by BBC Eye has shed light on the alarming activities of Aveo Pharmaceuticals, an Indian pharma firm based in Mumbai, which is allegedly producing and trafficking unlicensed and dangerously addictive opioids to West Africa. These drugs, specifically a combination of tapentadol—a powerful opioid—and carisoprodol, a banned muscle relaxant in Europe, are purportedly being linked to a public health crisis in nations such as Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d'Ivoire.

Despite lacking necessary global licenses, Aveo's products have gained popularity as cheap street drugs, resulting in alarming overdose rates and severe health risks including respiratory failure and seizures. An undercover operation by BBC reporters demonstrated the availability of these products branded under the Aveo logo on the streets, revealing a disturbing trading environment where even the company director expressed an understanding of the products' destructive potential yet dismissed concerns as mere business.

Local leaders in affected areas, including Tamale in northern Ghana, are struggling to combat the crisis, with community task forces forming to interrupt sales and confiscate drugs at the dealer level. A chilling report from a local chief underscored the toll opioids are taking on youth, describing how the addiction spreads uncontrollably like fire.

Furthermore, Nigerian authorities have noted a grave situation, with approximately four million Nigerians involved in opioid abuse, indicating a nationwide crisis spurred by the influx of such drugs. Following a crackdown on previous opioid medications, there is concern that Aveo has simply pivoted to exploit legal loopholes while supplying these more dangerous alternatives.

As these potent opioids permeate West African society, public health advocates warn of the long-term damage they might inflict on future generations. The Indian regulators, while aware of these breaches in supply, assert their commitment to action against malpractice and support for other nations in enforcing drug laws. However, behind the stringent regulations lies the ongoing reality that pharmaceutical companies like Aveo continue to profit amid the generational suffering caused by addiction and dependency, highlighting a humanitarian crisis that spans continents.

The investigation paints a disturbing picture of a thriving black market for these substances while local communities like Tamale fight back with drastic measures—including burning confiscated drugs—to dissuade this destructive trade. Yet as the flames consume the evidence, the producers, shielded by distance, continue to manufacture and export, raising urgent questions about corporate responsibility and the global drug trade.