E-DRUG: Counterfeit Drugs Not from China: Kenyan and Ugandan Officials
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[Two messages, cross-posted with thanks from E-Bricks. Copied as fair use.
WB]
http://english.cri.cn/6966/2013/01/09/2361s742787.htm
Web Editor: Wang Wei
Kenyan health officials rejected Western news reports that counterfeit drugs
in the country are imported from China.
"We import all range of essential medicines from China and so far we have
not detected substandard or counterfeit drugs originating from the country,"
Kipkerich Koskei, chief pharmacist at the Ministry of Medical Services, said
Tuesday.
"All imported medicines must be registered after passing the quality and
efficacy test," Koskei said, adding that drugs imported from China have met
international benchmarks.
"China will continue to be our main source of medicines as our post -market
surveillance indicates no foul play," Koskei said. "Health facilities have
not reported any side effect on antimalarials or antibiotics imported from
China."
Koskei spoke in response to reports by a British newspaper that the east
African region has become a dumping ground for counterfeit drugs originating
in Asian countries.
Drug regulatory authorities also confirmed that drugs and medical equipment
imported from China have met World Health Organization (WHO) approved
standards.
Steve Kimatu, head of Medicines Information at the Pharmacy and Poisons
Board, told Xinhua that there is no evidence so far linking China to an
influx of fake drugs in the Kenyan market.
"We do not have concrete evidence to suggest that China is the source of
counterfeit drugs. In any case, the reported cases of fake tablets are
mostly traced from established pharmaceutical giants," he added.
Kimatu stressed that the board has set stringent rules on imports of drugs
and no country is exempt from penalties in case they violate the guidelines.
Kenya has strengthened measures to deter entry of contraband goods,
including medicinal products. The government has joined forces with the
private sector and consumer lobby groups to combat the menace of counterfeit
drugs.
In recent years, Kenya has turned to China to strengthen its health systems
and reduce its disease burden.
The Kenyan government has established a partnership with China to promote
research and development of essential medicines as well as help combat the
menace of substandard or fake medical products, Koskei said
He added that health officials visit Chinese factories every six months to
verify the efficacy of imported drugs before they are registered in local
markets.
Kenya also has turned to advanced technology in China to help develop its
nascent pharmaceutical industry.
"China has advanced technology in development of drugs and we are exploring
technology transfer in quality assurance, production, research and
development of drugs," Koskei said.
Kenyan institutions are collaborating with China to promote research and
development of alternative medicines.
The Pharmacy and Poisons Board, Kenya Medical Research Institute and the
University of Nairobi are jointly conducting clinical trials to gauge the
efficacy of herbal medicine.
Koskei said Kenyan health officials have been trained in Chinese
universities on critical aspects of alternative medicine.
"Acquiring more knowledge on herbal medicine from China will enable Kenya to
develop a home-grown herbal industry," Koskei said.
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'Fake medicine' allegations against China baseless: Ugandan experts
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2013-01/10/content_16103439.htm
China's entry into Africa's pharmaceutical industry is causing competition
and discontent among industry players especially those from the West, with
the latter accusing the former of shipping "fake" medication to the
continent.
Policy makers, pharmacists, distributors and suppliers in Uganda, however,
refuted the allegations, noting that they arise from the cut-throat
competition that China brings into the lucrative industry in Africa and are
designed to tarnish Chinese anti-malarial medicines.
Some Western media outlets have recently hatched out a multitude of
much-hyped reports against Chinese medications. The volley of attacks
started when British newspaper The Guardian alleged late December that one
third of the fake anti-malaria drugs in Uganda and Tanzania have origins in
China and India.
However, Kate Kikule, chief drug inspector at the National Drug Authority
(NDA), told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday that no comprehensive survey
has been conducted so far to investigate how many anti-malarial products are
fake and are from China.
"The studies we have conducted show that there are some substandard products
but not necessarily that they are all from China," she said.
Kong Dongsheng, Managing Director of Sino Africa Medicines and Health
Limited, a supplier of the Chinese anti-malarial drug Duo-Cotexin, told
Xinhua earlier this month that China is a new entrant into Uganda's
anti-malarial drug industry with a not more than 10 percent market share.
He said the allegations against China was politically-motivated and must not
be tolerated.
He said the Ugandan government and the National Drug Authority (NDA) should
be trusted as it has a stringent code on licensing a company to distribute
medicines in the East African country.
Even if there are fake medicines in Uganda, there are not as many as the
report indicated, he added.
Stephen Kyebambe, a senior consultant physician at China-Naguru Friendship
Hospital in the capital Kampala, told Xinhua that an increasing number of
patients prefer cheap but effective drugs manufactured in China or India
than those made in the West.
"The reality is when you look at our medicines, they are bought from India
or China. Certainly, drugs from the United Kingdom are more expensive. The
issue of affordability exists and that is a fact," he said.
Kyebambe also noted that the fake drugs labelled "Made in China" are not
actually made in China.
Robert Mugabe, a pharmacy technician, argued that ordinary patients may not
necessarily differentiate a genuine drug from a fake one.
Some patients do not follow prescriptions and just swallow, say, half the
dose of the medicine, which can not completely kill the malaria parasites,
he said.
Such a patient will complain that the medicine is fake and yet it is
actually genuine medication abused by the patient, he said.
He said all drugs have side effects and that different patients react
differently to different medication depending on their physical make-up.
Edward Kironde Naddumba, director of China-Uganda Friendship Hospital,
echoed Mugabe.
"These drugs are of high quality and effective when it comes to treating
malaria. The problem is that most patients self medicate. When people get
signs of malaria, they self mediate. People need to get a malaria test
before starting treatment," said Naddumba.
He also said the allegations that one third of the anti-malaria drugs come
from China is not true due to lack of particular study.
"The statement lacks scientific evidence. NDA know all the drugs that come
into the country, they test all the drugs," he said.
"China has played a very active role in helping the people of Uganda. China
continues to show commitment to attending the deficiencies and equipments to
run this hospital," he said.
Asuman Lukwago, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health, described the
allegations as mudslinger in the pharmaceutical industry.
"I think this is a campaign story, which I feel should not be taken too
seriously," he said.