Manufacturers of Herbal Medicine have been asked to secure an advertisement permit from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) before taking products on to the market for sale.
In an interview with Spice FM, a Senior Regulatory Officer at FDA, Francis Odoom said, the Authority has laid down procedures for producers of herbal products to follow to ensure the wholesomeness of such products.
“Before any manufacturer gets to bring out his / her products into the market, it goes through processes but most importantly an advertisement permit should be secured from us. It is against the law to advertise without getting a permit,” he said.
He cautioned the media to refrain from transacting business with herbal manufacturers who have no license or advert permit from FDA.
Mr Odoom said, “Consumers can ascertain the authenticity of a particular product by taking the registration numbers to the Authority’s office to confirm the originality of a product”.
According to him, this move is to stamp out unscrupulous people who use fake labels as well as registration numbers of other manufacturers and use them to their advantage.
As part of FDA’s requirement for the registration of herbal medicines, an application letter should be submitted to the Authority’s Chief Executive Officer, a business registration certificate and amongst others.
Touching on the packaging of the products, he emphasized that fluid medicines are to be filled into amber colored bottles because the bottles protect the mixture from contamination.
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Capsules are required to be packaged in a plastic container and sealed with an aluminum foil to avoid the sun rays from penetrating.
He further said, every label should contain essential information like the manufacturer’s details, location, expiry date, production date, products name, batch number, net volume and product ingredient and others.
He noted that some health conditions cannot be included on labels of products because the law forbids it.
The general public is, however, advised to look out for dented, rusted and blotted products on the market and report any anomalies to the Authority.
