Indian authorities have banned the manufacture and export of two highly addictive opioids following a BBC investigation that revealed their role in a growing public health crisis in West Africa.
In a circular dated Friday, February 2025, India’s Drugs Controller General, Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, announced an immediate ban on all combinations of tapentadol and carisoprodol, citing concerns over their potential for abuse and harmful impact on public health. The decision follows revelations that an Indian pharmaceutical company, Aveo Pharmaceuticals, had been illegally exporting a harmful mix of the two drugs to countries including Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire.
BBC Eye’s investigation found that Aveo Pharmaceuticals, along with its sister company Westfin International, had shipped millions of these tablets to West African markets. Publicly available export data confirmed these shipments, while BBC reporters discovered Aveo-branded pills being sold on the streets of Nigeria and Ivorian towns.
In response, India’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a sting operation, raiding Aveo’s Mumbai factory and seizing its entire stock. The FDA confirmed that production had been halted and further legal action would be taken against the company.
Tapentadol is a powerful opioid, while carisoprodol is a highly addictive muscle relaxant banned in Europe due to its severe withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, insomnia, and hallucinations. In the United States, carisoprodol is only approved for short-term use of up to three weeks.
The combination of tapentadol and carisoprodol is not licensed for use anywhere in the world because it can cause breathing difficulties, seizures, and fatal overdoses. Despite these risks, the drugs have become popular street substances in West Africa, where they are cheap and widely available.
As part of its investigation, the BBC World Service sent an undercover operative, posing as a Nigerian businessman, inside Aveo’s factory in India. In secretly recorded footage, Aveo director Vinod Sharma is seen discussing the product’s effects.
When the operative mentions that the pills would be sold to teenagers in Nigeria, Sharma responds, “OK,” confirming that taking two or three pills at once would help users “relax” and get high. He later acknowledges the dangers, saying, “This is very harmful for health,” but adds, “nowadays, this is business.”
Despite repeated requests, Aveo Pharmaceuticals and Vinod Sharma did not respond to the BBC’s initial investigation.
Nigeria, with a population of 225 million, is the largest market for these opioids, with an estimated four million Nigerians abusing some form of opioid, according to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics.
Following the BBC’s findings, Indian regulators have instructed the FDA to carry out further inspections to prevent the continued supply of these drugs. The agency said it was fully prepared to act against any companies engaging in illegal activities that damage India’s reputation.
