Counterfeit drugs in Afria and Kenya

The foundations of the health system are under threat. There is a silent but nevertheless conspicuous epidemic that is spreading in Africa and claims 500,000 lives every year. The health system is in danger! 7,508 drug samples were examined by the University of Bahir Dar in Ethiopia. 27 studies were carried out. It was found that 21 percent - that is 1,639 samples - were substandard or counterfeit. A pharmacist from Nairobi warned that these adulterated drugs can lead to treatment errors and avoidable deaths. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that such drugs are responsible for around 500,000 deaths every year in sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya is facing counterfeit drugs. The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) reports a prevalence of substandard drugs of 1.42 percent. The National Quality Control Laboratories and the PPB reported that in 2018, 12 percent of drugs available on the market were counterfeit. A study by industry associations - including the Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Industry (KAPI), the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK), the Kenya Medical Association (KMA) and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) - finds the situation alarming, estimating that up to 30 percent of drugs in Kenya are counterfeit and are worth Sh15 billion on the black Kenya is a major supplier of substandard drugs, suggesting that the problem may be more widespread than official figures suggest.