The Circuit Court in Sunyani has sentenced an Over-The-Counter (OTC) medicine seller, Nana Agyeman Badu, to 17 years imprisonment with hard labour for selling and exhibiting expired medical products.
This follows an operation by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in collaboration with the Bono Regional Police Command.
The conviction, delivered on April 29, 2025, by His Honour Sylvester Nii Okine Ablorh, marks a major victory for the FDA in its ongoing crackdown on unsafe pharmaceutical practices in the country. In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a fine of GHc12,000.00 on the convict.
Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional 2-year jail term.
The case dates back to 2022 when the FDA and police seized expired medical products from Badu’s facility in Chiraa, Bono Region.
The products were subsequently tested and confirmed to be unfit for human use.
In a public statement, the FDA reaffirmed its commitment to protecting public health through strict enforcement of regulatory standards.
“The public is hereby advised that expired medical products are unsafe, as there are chemical changes that may cause harmful side effects or treatment failure,” part of the statement noted.
The FDA also urged consumers to be vigilant and report suspicious products while assuring the public of its continued collaboration with stakeholders to eliminate the circulation of unregistered or expired drugs in the country.
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