A BBC Eye investigation has exposed Aveo Pharmaceuticals, a Mumbai-based firm, for illegally manufacturing and exporting unlicensed, highly addictive opioids to countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Aveo Pharmaceuticals has been implicated in producing pills containing a dangerous mix of tapentadol, a potent opioid, and carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant banned in Europe due to its addictive nature.

This combination is not licensed for use anywhere globally and poses severe health risks, including breathing difficulties, seizures, and death from overdose.

Despite this, these drugs have flooded West African streets, sold cheaply under brand names like Tafrodol, fueling a public health crisis.

The investigation revealed that Aveo’s director, Vinod Sharma, admitted to an undercover BBC team that the drugs were “very harmful” but dismissed concerns, stating, “this is business.”

Publicly available export data show Aveo, along with a sister company, Westfin International, shipped millions of these tablets to West Africa.

Nigeria, with its 225 million population, is the largest market, where an estimated four million people abuse opioids, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The Chairman of Nigeria’s Drug and Law Enforcement Agency, Brig Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa, described the situation as “devastating” to youth and communities.

In Ghana, local efforts, like a task force in Tamale led by Alhassan Maham, have seized Aveo-branded drugs, highlighting the crisis’s grassroots impact.

This scandal tarnishes India’s $28 billion pharmaceutical industry, known for quality generics and vaccines. Indian law prohibits exporting unlicensed drugs unless they meet the importing country’s standards, yet Aveo’s actions violate both Indian and international regulations.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has pledged swift action against such malpractice, but the crisis persists, raising questions about enforcement and global accountability.