An investigation by AFP has revealed that Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers continue exporting millions of high-strength tapentadol tablets to West Africa despite regulatory crackdowns and growing evidence linking the drug to a regional opioid epidemic. The synthetic opioid, which is stronger than tramadol and often sold illegally in countries such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Ghana, is increasingly being mixed into the dangerous street drug “kush.” Public health officials say the crisis is overwhelming rehabilitation systems, fueling organized crime, and contributing to rising deaths among young people. Without coordinated international pharmaceutical regulation, West Africa faces a structural opioid crisis comparable in scale to the one that devastated the United States, but with far fewer resources to respond.
Africanews
