Workshop on substandard malaria drugs held in Accra

The Food and Drugs Authority has expressed concern about the increase in falsified and substandard malaria drugs in the country.

It has, therefore, cautioned the general public against the purchasing of substandard and falsified malaria drugs from peddlers.

According to the Head of Drug Enforcement at the FDA, Mr Thomas Amedzro, the authority had, over the years, enforced stringent measures to ensure that quality medicines were provided for Ghanaians.

He said the circulation of substandard and counterfeit medicines did not only threaten the safety of patients, but also undermined healthcare delivery which is crucial in reducing morbidity and restoring health.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a global stakeholders meeting on falsified and substandard malaria drugs in Accra, Mr Amedzro said with the support of the United State Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention, a scientific non-governmental organisation, the authority had been able to track some substandard and falsified drugs.

He said those drugs were often sold in rural areas or peddled in vehicles and at the markets.

Workshop

The two-day workshop, organised by Health Communication Capacity Collaboration, brought health experts from Ghana, Senegal, Benin, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania as well as representatives from the United State Agency for International Development.

The workshop dealt specifically with the problem of substandard and counterfeit malaria medicines with a view to enlisting public support to address the problem.

It also aimed at helping licensed pharmaceutical companies in capacity building to enable them to produce good quality anti-malaria medicines.

Falsified drugs

Speaking at the workshop, a representative of USP, Mr Vincent Musah, pointed out that the USP, in collaboration with USAID, had conducted studies in 17 countries across the globe.

He said the findings revealed that about 50 per cent of malaria drugs across the globe were falsified, while 10.4 per cent of malaria drugs in Africa were substandard.

Explaining the difference between substandard and falsified drugs, he said falsified drugs were those that did not contain the required active ingredient while the substandard ones were those that did not meet the required quality standard.

He recommended that countries such as Ghana strengthened its regulatory systems through capacity building and exposure of pharmaceutical companies to modern technology.

That, he said, would ensure that products, which were unwholesome, did not end up in the country.