Alliance to fight counterfeit malaria drugs in Kenya

Three organisations have formed an alliance to fight proliferation of counterfeit malaria drugs in Kenya. The partnership between Kenya-based Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS), the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) and the US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is aimed at improving access to quality and safe anti-malarial medicines.

Under the USAID-funded “Promoting the Quality of Medicines (PQM) programme” implemented by USP, the organisations will ensure safety of all marketed medical products.

“This initiative will help in addressing the root problem of proliferation of fake and substandard medicines in Kenya,” said Dr Jane Masiga, MEDS Head of Operations, when she announced the partnership. This comes barely two weeks after World Malaria Day.

Masiga said over 100 samples of anti-malarial drugs from health facilities across the country are set to be tested to identify counterfeits and other substandard medicines in circulation.

Samples of the drugs will be analysed at the MEDS World Health Organisation (WHO) prequalified Quality Control Laboratory.The laboratory currently analyses more than 100 drug samples from manufacturers, distributors and researchers in Kenya and also from over 15 African countries every month.