Synthetic drugs from India fuelling West Africa’s opioid epidemic

With opioids heavily regulated in many wealthier countries, Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers are pushing hard into Africa and fuelling a growing epidemic.

They come in blister packs of 10 like any normal painkiller and you can buy them easily in roadside kiosks and street pharmacies across west Africa.

Millions of tapentadol tablets from India are helping drive a deadly opioid epidemic ravaging the region, with officials and…