By Stephen G. Fellajuah
G2 Pharmacy is beneath severe scrutiny following its alleged importation and provide of the banned anesthetic drug Bupivacaine (0.5%) within the nation of Liberia, which has been linked to the tragic demise of a 16-year-old boy earlier this 12 months.
The incident has sparked nationwide concern over regulatory oversight inside Liberiaโs pharmaceutical sector.
Public criticism intensified after {the teenager} died at St. Josephโs Catholic Hospital on January 3, 2025, shortly after being administered the spinal anesthetic, reportedly imported by G2 Pharmacy.
Throughout a latest investigation by The New Daybreak Newspaper, a supply confirmed the connection between the drug and the boyโs demise.
An nameless official remarked, โThis case was settled a while in the past. I donโt know why itโs being highlighted once more. Nothing can deliver the boy again, and we remorse what occurred. However it appears there could also be some politics at play.โ
On January 22, 2025, the Impartial Listening to Board of the Liberia Medicines and Well being Merchandise Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) obtained a proper criticism from its Inspectorate and Pharmacovigilance Departments. The criticism alleged that G2 Pharmacy imported and distributed Bupivacaine (0.5%) with out English-language labeling, a transparent violation of LMHRAโs packaging laws.
Following its investigation, the Listening to Board discovered G2 Pharmacy in breach of Chapter IV, Part 1, Depend I of the LMHRA Regulation on Labeling. Initially, the pharmacy was fined US$3,500 per pack for 236 mislabeled packs, amounting to a complete advantageous of US$118,000. Nevertheless, the penalty was later drastically lowered to only US$1,000.
The matter didn’t attain the LMHRA Board of Administrators till June 2025. At its assembly held on July 11, 2025, the Board reviewed the investigationโs findings and handed a proper decision.
Key Directives from the LMHRA Board included instant recall of the mislabeled Bupivacaine from the market, with all recall prices lined by G2 Pharmacy.
Indefinite suspension of G2 Pharmacyโs license to import medicines into Liberia, citing a violation of PART VIII, SECTION 3 of the LMHRA Act.
A licensed assertion from the LMHRA Board reads, โIt’s hereby licensed that the above is an accurate copy of the decision of the Board of Administrators of the Liberia Medicines and Well being Merchandise Regulatory Authority (LMHRA), authorizing the Managing Director to completely implement these duties and obligations in finishing up the mandates of the Authority.โ
Efforts to contact G2 Pharmacy for feedback had been unsuccessful. In accordance with sources, the person licensed to talk on the matter is at present overseas. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
