PSGH boss Ohemeng Kyei denies link with fake drugs

James Ohemeng Kyei, PSGH Boss and Dr Stephen Opuni, FDA Boss

President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Pharmacist James Ohemeng Kyei, has denied allegations connecting him with the procurement of substandard psychotherapeutic medicines during his term in office as the Chief Pharmacist and Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the Ministry of Health.

According to Mr Kyei, during his tenure which ended three years ago, he never imported any substandard Psychotherapeutic (psychiatry) medicines which the FDA ordered their immediate re-exportation.

Mr Ohemeng’s reaction, contained in a release, follows recent allegations made by Mr Samuel Asante Boateng, head of the Pharmaceutical Industrial Support Department of the Food and Drugs Authority, in a press release captioned “Ministry of Health Press Release: Self Indicting and Embarrassing”.

Press release citing Pharmacist Kyei/ PSGH

Mr Boateng in the release cited Mr Kyei in a 2010 importation of substandard psychiatric medicines by the Ministry of Health that the FDB uncovered in their post market surveillance system which led to the immediate re-exportation of these substandard psychiatry medicines

“During that time, the current President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), Mr Oheming Kyei (name even wrongly spelt) was the Chief Pharmacist of the MOH,” excerpts of the release stated.

The same release again noted the FDA confiscation of 130 million pieces of substandard condoms imported by the Ghana Health service, worth $6 million of Global Fund money.

“Who are the people in charge of procurement at the Ghana Health Service and the MOH?” Mr Boateng asked.

The statement also accused the Pharmaceutical Society for blaming the FDA of destroying the business of its members through its post-market surveillance intelligence activities which uncovered fake anti-malarials on the Ghanaian market and issued a public alert to that effect.

Pharmacist Kyei’s Response to Accusation

Mr Kyei however indicated that the procurement of medicines during his term in office was done in accordance with the procurement law of Ghana (Act 663).

Explaining, Mr Kyei said in 2010, 12 registered pharmaceutical companies namely Janssen Cilag/ Abba Scientific, Ernest Chemists Ltd, Sun Pharmaceuticals Ind. Ltd, Cipla Limited, Aurobindo Pharma Ltd, Kinapharma Ltd, Surgi and Medic Int. Ltd, Rock Chemist, Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Laboratoires Lafran, Amex Pharmacy Ltd and Gokals Ltd were awarded a contract to supply 42 different psychotherapeutic medicines after evaluation scrutiny to by a team which included a member from FDA.

He further said analytical reports on the psychotherapeutic medicines dated April 6, 2010, signed by Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, CEO of the FDA; and addressed to the Head of the Central Medical Stores, identified one of the medicines namely chlorpromazine injection (50mg/2ml) did not comply with pharmacopoeia requirement for assay.

“Indeed, it contained more of the active pharmaceutical ingredients than the pharmacopoeia standard. It does not mean that it was fake!” he said.

Subsequently, Mr Kyei said the whole consignment of that particular injection was destroyed on the orders of the FDA at the Kpone landfill site in the presence of an official of the FDA, Denyce Dorbu, who issued a certificate of destruction to the Head of the Central Medical Stores.

“The Procurement Unit of the Directorate of Procurement and Supply then wrote to the supplier to replace the item. According to information available to me, apart from the aforementioned chlorpromazine injection, all the other 41 consignments of psychotherapeutic medicines were supplied to the psychiatric hospitals for use by our valued patients,” he said.

Mr Kyei said none of the medicines was re-exported on arrival at the ports to anywhere as claimed by Mr Samuel Asante Boateng challenging him to produce documentation as proof of the so called psychotherapeutic medicines that were re-exported on the orders of the FDA.

The president of the society again called the allegation of the importation of fake condoms as, “sheer wickedness to willfully link me with the procurement of so called fake condoms in 2013, about three (3) years after leaving office.”

PSGH Response

Pharm Dennis Sena Awitty, Executive Secretary of PSGH also in a statement called the statement by Mr Samuel Asante Boateng as inaccurate and most unfortunate.

He said it was inappropriate for Mr Boateng to call as fake the anti-malaria drugs when he had gone on to explain categorically that the recall of the anti-malarial did not mean they were fake but rather its quality “fell short of standards”.

“For Mr Samuel Boateng Asante to now call as FAKE the recalled anti-malarial which the FDA said in 2009 were not FAKE is a DIABOLICAL ploy to throw dust into the public’s eye and divert attention from the recent PSGH call for investigations into the impasse between the FDA and some pharmaceutical importers,” he said.

He said as a professional body whose members are bound by a constitution and code of ethics, it was only proper that the PSGH hear the side of the stories of the pharmacists involved or affected by the afore-mentioned issues and take an informed decision and position on the issues as the PSGH frowns on a member bringing the name of the profession into disrepute by engaging in illegal, unprofessional or unethical conduct.

Source Daily Guide Ghana News

PSGH boss Ohemeng Kyei denies link with fake drugs