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The Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone, under the Ministry of Health, has issued a stern warning to the public regarding the consumption of certain herbal products. The cautionary statement specifically mentions popular items such as Coco Samba, Oga Abeg, Good Time Natural Herbal Formula, among others, claiming to boost energy for men.
The Pharmacy Board previously expressed concerns about the safety and quality of Coco Samba, citing preliminary tests conducted in their laboratory. The public was advised to refrain from using the product until further confirmatory tests could be conducted in collaboration with regulatory authorities in the sub-region.
Latest findings from the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) of Ghana reveal alarming results. Laboratory analysis indicates that each bottle of Coco Samba contains a heavy dose (193 mg) of Sildenafil Citrate, exceeding the prescribed dosage of 50-100 mg. Sildenafil Citrate is a prescription drug primarily used for treating erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Further investigations have unveiled similar adulteration in other herbal products, including Olekoko Akson Bitters, Oga Abeg, and Good Time Natural Herbal Formula. The presence of Sildenafil Citrate in varying strengths poses serious health risks, such as a significant drop in blood pressure, visual disturbances, headache, dizziness, chest pain, and painful, prolonged erections that may result in permanent damage to the male reproductive organ.
The Pharmacy Board urges the public to cease the consumption of these harmful products immediately. Individuals or institutions marketing these products should be reported promptly. Additionally, any observed side effects related to these or other products should be reported to the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone via phone numbers 099117117 or 073994830.
This part of West Africa is sick and dead.
Coco Samba has been in Sierra Leone for the past 4/5 months. It has been largely consumed by a good percentage of Sierra Leoneans without any prescribed dose.
I am really and verily disappointed in the SL Pharmacy Board and the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau, whose sile mandate is to examine, test, verify, quantify and qualify the combination and thus chemical contents of such drugs/herbal liquid.
I quiet remember a post, few months ago, when Coco Samba was said to be good and fine for human consumption by one of the bodies above.
Why is it now! Why! To be honest, this chemical combination has lead to the death of many and worsening health issues of many.
Why must our nation wait to take decision only after hearing from neighbouring countries?
Why SL Bureau doesn’t take the necessary action from custom point, to distribution and thus street selling?
I trust no system in Sierra Leone. If our health ministry is like take from others , why should I trust the very medical people that qualify drugs…
I feeling like dying when I see this press release from SLPB😪😪😪
Once again, this part of West Africa is sick and dead.
The memo is dated 20th February 2023.
Is this not outdated
our beloved country will one day turn into ghost town ,because of our stupidity behaviour..God please save our land sierra Leone from this our selfish leaders..
So the pharmacy board of Sierra Leone was waiting for other countries like Ghana to bring out their statements on the above harmful herbal drugs before you make a statement? Or are you guys telling us that you do not know or have the required equipment or laboratory to conduct the test. Or were you guys waiting after it has killed hundreds of thousands of Sierra Leoneans before you say a word
Waetin make hypocrisy so borku na salone?waetin do?una nor know how for catch den wan ya wae dae sell am na market or una sabi dae sai ya wae dae kin sidon or pas pas for sell am???so why una go put numba for call una?call una for show udat dae sell am?why in d first place una investigate 🔎 about d herbs 🌿?wae una don eat dae bribe moni tay na now una want tok. Hypocrites!!!!!!!
This is the second time this memo is being published up till now no one has done anything to stop the sellers of these herbal drugs. As long as there are sellers there will be buyers so stop this propaganda when the government knows that they can’t do anything about it
Hmmmm! If you guys cannot cohort any more with the importers of coco samba and other harmful substances you mentioned to be refrained from then you owe compensation to all users of the substance from the inception of it to date. You have been regulated not to insist on the wrong things and now you are coming with a stern warning. I wonder how many heads would have rolled for this mess Sierra Leoneans are plunged into.