Kenya’s drug regulatory authority has deployed a new technology to detect substandard and falsified medical products in the markets as it swings into action following reports of increased counterfeit medicines in the country. 

According to the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB), this measure will help weed out fakes, ensuring that the sick get quality medications.

The board, in collaboration with Missions for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS), has deployed Pillscan, an innovation that is tailor-made to detect substandard drugs, thereby assuring users of the quality, safety, and effectiveness of the medicines in circulation.

This new technology was acquired from Global Health Labs USA with support from the Global Fund. PPB says that the implementation phase entails re-training personnel, an undertaking that will be done by software engineers from Global Health Labs USA.

Kenya, despite having a vigorous pharmaceutical industry, counterfeit drugs remain a big challenge with a recent study showing that about 30 percent of medicines sold in Kenya are fake. This represents a market value of KES15 billion. 

The study by the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK), Kenya Medical Association (KMA), Kenya Manufacturers Association (KAM), and Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (KAPI) said the affected drugs include common over-the-counter prescriptions like painkillers and antibiotics.

According to Rwanda’s Food and Drug Authority, Kenya was the fourth most prominent source of recalled drugs after it accounted for 13.2 percent of the substandard medications that have been cited for contamination, or poor quality over the last four years in the country.

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