70 unlicensed pharmaceutical outlets closed as KAPI welcomes the crackdown

The Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Industry (KAPI) has noted the recent increased surveillance and enforcement efforts by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board. As a stakeholder in Kenya’s Pharmaceutical and healthcare sector, the body welcomes the recent increased enforcement actions that have seen the closure of more than 70 unlicensed pharmaceutical outlets. The closures in Nairobi and South Rift are an indicator of a much larger challenge affecting the local pharmaceutical space, said the association in a press statement.

It added that the continued operation of such unlicensed pharmaceutical retail outlets poses a grave danger to the population. KAPI remains strong advocates for a well-regulated medicines and related drugs market. Such a market provides for quality outcomes where pharmaceutical products are involved.

Dr. Anastasia Nyalita, KAPI chairperson also noted that the proliferation of unlicensed pharmacies and unregulated pharmaceutical products in this market calls for concerted efforts to curb the menace. As an association, we commit to provide the necessary support to accelerate efforts to advance the integrity of the Pharmaceuticals market.

“ As part of this efforts, we continue to urge the Pharmacy and Poisons Board to fully utilize digital technologies to track shipments and identify unregulated products to ensure that all products available in the Kenyan market are regulated. Unregulated and illegal products in the local market, present a greater risk of deficiencies and poor efficacy due to potentially incorrect storage by middle-men, product formulation and packaging intended for other climates, and languages that are not understood in Kenya including Arabic, Turkish and German.”

A baseline study undertaken by the University of Nairobi, School of Pharmacy last year, confirmed an 8 per cent prevalence of unregulated or illegally imported medicinal brands. The baseline study focused on 9 popular medicine brands and provided a representative sample for a wider market challenge. The study was undertaken among 160 practicing retailers through interviews and literature reviews with purchases for 543 products conducted in 326 retail outlets in all the major towns in Kenya.