‘Guard against fake medicines’

THERE is need to implement a strong regulatory framework against counterfeit medicines that have flooded the African market, Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Emmanuel Mwamba has said.

Mr. Mwamba said this in response to the latest report released by the African Union titled, “Low and Middle-Income Countries Worst Affected by Poor Pharmaceutical Governance, Weak Technical Capacity and Poor Supply Chain Management.”

Mr. Mwamba said the illicit medicines were costing both lives and huge financial losses to the continent’s economies.

This is contained in a statement issued by First Secretary - Press and Tourism at the Zambian Embassy in Ethiopia, In’utu Mwanza.

Mr Mwamba said the prevalence of fake medicines was a threat to attaining the Sustainable Development Goal for good health and well-being.

The report has established that Africa accounts for 42 percent of substandard, counterfeit, and falsified medicines in the world.

And Mr. Mwamba said he was confident the creation of the Africa Medicines Agency (AMA) as a continental regulatory body on medicines, will help mitigate the vice of counterfeit medicines present on the markets in Africa.

He also says AMA, which is Africa’s second Continental Health Agency will help strengthen the capacity to manufacture drugs in member states than the current scenario where medicines are imported.

Meanwhile, the global market volume of falsified medicines and medical products is estimated around US$200 billion, and up to 70 percent of the total medicine in circulation is falsified and prevalent in many parts of Africa.

And the World Health Organisation estimates that 10 percent of medicines worldwide are substandard or falsified.