A new investigation by the BBC World Service’s award-winning BBC Eye Investigations team has uncovered shocking evidence of an Indian pharmaceutical company, Aveo Pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and illegally exporting unlicensed, addictive opioids to West Africa, exacerbating the region’s opioid crisis.
The documentary, India’s Opioid Kings, exposes how Aveo Pharmaceuticals, based in Mumbai, produces a range of pills branded under various names, which are sold as legitimate medicines. However, these pills contain a dangerous and illegal combination of tapentadol, a powerful opioid, and carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant banned in Europe due to its highly addictive properties. These drugs are not licensed for use anywhere in the world and pose significant health risks, including breathing difficulties, seizures and potential fatal overdoses.
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Despite the risks, the drugs have become widely available as street drugs in West Africa, with BBC Eye investigators finding packets bearing the Aveo logo on the streets of Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire. The documentary reveals how the drugs are fuelling a public health crisis in these countries, with many young people becoming addicted to opioids. The BBC’s undercover investigation traced the drugs back to Aveo’s factory in Mumbai. An undercover operative posed as an African businessman looking to supply opioids to Nigeria. During a secret meeting with Vinod Sharma, one of Aveo’s directors, the operative filmed Sharma explaining that the drugs, when taken in higher doses, could make users feel “relaxed” and “high.” Sharma openly admitted that the drugs were harmful but defended the practice, stating, “This is business.”
The devastating impact of Aveo’s drugs is felt across West Africa. In Ghana’s Tamale city, local leaders have formed a task force to combat the widespread abuse of these illegal opioids. Alhassan Maham, a city chief, described the epidemic as consuming the sanity of the young people who abuse these drugs. One addict in Tamale poignantly stated, “The drugs have wasted our lives.” Nigeria, with its large population of 225 million, is the largest market for these opioids, and the National Drug and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been battling a growing crisis. Brig Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa, the NDLEA chairman, told the BBC that opioids are “devastating our youths, our families, it’s in every community in Nigeria.”
Aveo Pharmaceuticals’ actions are not only illegal but also breach Indian law, which prohibits the export of unlicensed drugs unless they meet the regulatory standards of the importing country. Ghana’s National Drug Enforcement Agency confirmed that the combination of tapentadol and carisoprodol in the drugs shipped by Aveo is unlicensed and illegal in the country. The BBC Eye investigation reached out to Aveo Pharmaceuticals for comment, but they did not respond. The Indian government, through the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), acknowledged the importance of global public health and stated its commitment to ensuring a strong pharmaceutical regulatory system. The CDSCO also emphasised that Indian pharmaceutical exports are closely monitored and that the agency has taken up the matter with West African countries, promising to take immediate action against any pharmaceutical company involved in malpractice.