Head of Communications at Food and Drugs Authority, Mr. James Lartey, says the indiscriminate advertisement of drugs for the prevention of certain ailments is the cause of prohibition law.
The FDA has issued directives to media houses to desist from advertising drugs, herbal medicinal product, cosmetic, medical device or household chemical substance to the public as a treatment for a disease, disorder or an abnormal physical state unless the advertisement has FDA’s approval.
The diseases mentioned by the FDA include drugs that cure alcoholism, amenorrhoea, appendicitis, arteriosclerosis, asthma, bladder stones, blindness, cancer, convulsion, deafness, diabetes, and diphtheria, diseases of the reproductive organ, dropsy, epilepsy, and erysipelas.
They also cited drugs advertised for the cure of fibroid, gallstones, goiter, heart disease, hernia or rupture, hypertension, infertility, kidney failure, kidney stones, leprosy, leukemia, locomotortazy, systemic lupus erythematosis, mental disorders, nephritis or Bright’s disease, and obesity.
Speaking on Atinka FM’s AM Drive with Ekourba Gyasi, Head of Communications at Food and Drugs Authority, Mr. James Lartey explained that some ailments are manageable diseases. He added that with such ailments, patients are placed on some drugs and under supervision.
According to him, patients are humans who desperately want to be cured of their ailments.
He added that when these worried patients get to hear and see such advertisements on radio and TV, there is a huge possibility that they will ignore their prescribed drug and focus on these advertised drugs.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu Boatemaa