The Accra High Court has cleared Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Limited (TPL) and its Group Chairman, Elder Dr Samuel Amo Tobbin, of allegations of importing fake drugs into Ghana.
This ruling, delivered by Her Ladyship Audrey Kocuvie-Tay on July 29, 2024, contradicts claims made by the former Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni.
This was contained in a statement released by TPL on Sunday, August 11.
The legal battle began on July 19, 2019, when Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Limited filed a lawsuit against the FDA, accusing the authority of abusing its statutory powers and duties.
According to the company, Dr Kwabena Opuni between September and December 2013, targeted it under the pretence that it was importing fake drugs.
The FDA proceeded to lock Tobinco’s warehouses nationwide, leading to significant embarrassment for the company and its chairman.
The regulator also disposed of Tobinco’s products, resulting in substantial financial losses as the products expired rapidly.
Additionally, the FDA banned Bliss GVS Pharma Limited, Tobinco’s principal business partner at the time, from exporting drugs to Ghana. This ban, coupled with the labelling of Tobinco’s drugs as fake, led to the confiscation of the company’s products from customers.
After a decade-long legal struggle, the court has ruled that it was unlawful for the FDA to stop Tobinco from selling its products.
Read Tobinco’s full statement below;
