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| One-Fifth of Medicines in Africa Found Fake or Substandard: Study Reveals Alarming Trends and Impacts on Public Health Image credit: Pixabay |
Prevalence of Fake and Substandard Medicines in Africa
A recent study by researchers at Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia has revealed that up to 22.6% of medicines in Africa are either fake or substandard. This poses a significant threat to the continent’s fragile public health system. The study reviewed 27 other studies, analyzing 7,508 medicine samples, and found that 1,639 failed at least one quality test.
Unregistered Medicines and Antibiotics
The study, published on the United States National Library of Medicine website, noted that over a third (34.6%) of medicines on the continent are unregistered. Among these, antibiotics account for 44%, highlighting a severe risk to health treatments.
Contributing Factors
The report attributes the prevalence of fake and substandard medicines in Africa to several factors including poor market regulatory oversight, free trade zones, inadequate registration, high demand, and substandard importation practices.
Kenya and Malawi's High Rates
According to the study, Kenya had the highest percentage of fake and substandard unregistered antibiotics and antimalarial drugs at 17%, followed by Malawi at 10.7%.
Similar Findings by WHO
This study aligns with a 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) study, which estimated that one in 10 medical products in developing countries are substandard or falsified. The WHO report indicated that 42% of these substandard and falsified medicines are found in Africa.
Impact on Child Mortality and Healthcare Costs
A modeling exercise by the University of Edinburgh estimates that 72,000 to 169,000 children may die each year from pneumonia due to substandard and falsified antibiotics. Another model by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggests that substandard and falsified antimalarials could cause an additional 116,000 deaths annually in sub-Saharan Africa, costing patients and health providers $38.5 million for further care.
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| NAFDAC plans to reduce substandard medicines in Nigeria below 10% global average by 2025 Image credit: Pixabay |
Nigeria's Efforts to Combat Fake Medicines
In 2019, the Director-General of Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, stated that the prevalence of fake and substandard medicines in Nigeria is 16%. NAFDAC has plans to reduce this below the global average of 10% by 2025. The agency also reported that about 70% of drugs in Nigeria are imported, allowing a high influx of fake and substandard drugs.
Database for Authenticity Verification
Last year, NAFDAC launched a database with over 6,400 registered pharmaceutical products for the public to verify the authenticity of drugs online. Despite these efforts, about 50% of imported pharmaceutical product certificates in Nigeria were found to be fake earlier this year.
Rising Drug Prices in Nigeria
The 28-year high inflation and over 100% devaluation of the naira have caused the cost of drugs to increase by over 100% in the last year. This situation has led to the exit of major pharmaceutical multinationals from the country, including GSK, which caused prices of antibiotics, asthma inhalers, and painkillers to soar by over 1000%.
Government Measures to Control Drug Prices
In response, President Tinubu recently signed an Executive Order (EO) introducing zero tariffs, excise duties, and Value Added Tax (VAT) on the import of pharmaceutical products, including specialized machinery, equipment, and pharmaceutical raw materials, to boost local production.
Future Prospects for Nigeria’s Pharmaceutical Industry
Nigeria imports most of its drugs from India, whose pharmaceutical industry is projected to reach $65 billion by 2024. A 2017 McKinsey report estimated Nigeria’s local pharmaceutical industry at $607 million, projecting significant growth to $3.6 billion by 2026. Nigerian manufacturers produce various products, including liquid preparations, tablets, capsules, ointments, lotions, creams, and ophthalmic preparations.
Conclusion
The prevalence of fake and substandard medicines poses a significant threat to public health in Africa. Efforts by countries like Nigeria to combat this issue, along with international cooperation, are crucial for improving the quality and safety of medicines on the continent.
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