This archive report was first published on 14 June 2020.
Published on June 14, 2020, by Anne Dembah-Aringo, Country Manager – Pfizer Laboratories Ltd.
As the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, the pharmaceutical industry is working tirelessly to deliver safe and effective vaccines. However, the rise of illicit trade in pharmaceutical products poses a significant threat to public health, with counterfeit medicines potentially causing unnecessary deaths.
According to the Trade in Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Products Report (March 2020) published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the value of global trade in counterfeit pharmaceuticals hit Sh440 billion ($4.4 billion) in 2016. This represents 0.84 per cent of total worldwide imports in pharmaceutical products.
Counterfeit and sub-standard medicines pose a huge risk to patients' health, from failure to treat diseases to causing unexpected adverse effects. To put this into perspective, estimates show that between 72,000 and 169,000 children may die unnecessarily from pneumonia every year after receiving counterfeit drugs.
It is therefore clear that the infiltration of counterfeits into the market during this period would exacerbate a situation that is already dire by causing unnecessary deaths. For Kenya to address and manage the Covid-19 pandemic comprehensively, stakeholders must step up efforts in curbing illicit trade to reduce the incidences and keep the population safe.
It is time to initiate a public-private dialogue between the industry and the government to strengthen legislation as well as enhance enforcement to address this global scourge.
