The exercise led by North West governor, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, involved an operation to stop the spread of a network of distributors of fake products, existing in the markets. Most of these drugs had expired, and of poor quality. They are often sold at cheaper rates, as compared to drugs bought from authorised pharmacies. The North West Special Fund for Health Promotion, an institution which checked the validity and quality of these drugs in the region, confirmed it wasn’t good for consumption.

The drugs mainly composed of Tramol, Tetanus Antitoxin, Sympeni, Phosphalugel, amongst others, were presented to the Press on Monday the 22nd of April, by North West governor. He reiterated the engagement of government towards the protection of its citizens, and to punish defaulters. He further announced that more measures will be put in place to check the flow of illicit drugs in local markets.

These drugs were later destroyed through the region’s newly installed incinerator, around the Regional Delegation of Public Health in the presence of committee members.

Recently, the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Manaouda Malachie, raised an alarm against a possible influx of fake meningitis vaccines, along the Cameroonian borders. This alarm kept many authorities on a red alert, as Cameroon continues to battle fake medications, which has led to the death of several persons.

Authorities in the North West recently revealed that two persons were killed after consuming a banned drug, “Hydrochlorothiazide(HCT) 50mg, a medication often used to control high blood. Reports say the drug contained an active ingredient(Glibenclamide 5mg), meant for diabetes type II patients, which caused some side effects, influencing their deaths. Tramol is also known to have caused deaths amongst youths these days.