Kenya seizes counterfeit drugs haul
Authorities in Kenya have destroyed more than 65,000 kilos of counterfeit drugs, valued at more than KSh40 million ($392,000).
The batch, which totalled 67,000 kilos, was destroyed by Kenya’s Ministry of Health and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) yesterday, November 24.
The products were “substandard” or “falsely labelled”, according to the government.
Residents have been urged to buy their medication from registered health facilities in an effort to curb the consumption of counterfeit drugs.
The products were reportedly seized by PPB inspectors from ports and were destroyed in capital city Nairobi.
Nicholas Muraguri, director of medical services, said that the government will continue to look out for such drugs in an effort to protect the public from exposure to unsafe products.
“The PPB inspectorate and surveillance teams are on the ground in all regions to ensure compliance, and those found contravening the law will be prosecuted and arrested,” he said.
“These drugs, which are deliberately and fraudulently mislabelled, pose a major risk to public health, especially to patients with life-threatening conditions,” he added.
