By Al-amani Mutarubukwa, The Citizen Reporter
Dar es Salaam. A pharmaceutical manufacturer giant, GlaxoSmithKline, has announced that it will halve prices of some drugs.This is partly intended to fight the sale of counterfeit medicines in East Africa. According to GSK East Africa managing director John Musunga, about 30 per cent of drugs in developing countries are counterfeits.“Counterfeiting is done when a drug is expensive, scarce and when regulators are not manning borders properly,” he told The Citizen at the weekend in Dar es Salaam.“Such medicines pose a serious health risk to patients who use them without knowing their dangers.”
Mr Musunga said reducing prices of frequently used drugs would enable poor households to afford quality medication within their meagre budgets.With its headquarters in the UK, GSK is a global organisation with offices in over 100 countries and major research centres in Britain, the US, Belgium and China.It supplies various medicines in East Africa.Last week, representatives of the world’s major pharmaceutical companies gathered in Nairobi to discuss ways of fighting counterfeit medicines in East Africa.They discussed dangers of counterfeit medicines as well as ways to limit the spread of the drugs around the world.
Health officials, police, customs officers and pharmaceutical industry representatives planned to prevent the distribution of fake medicines, along with measures needed to tighten pharmaceutical security.Representatives from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Madagascar attended the conference.
Counterfeit drugs are different from generic drugs, which are identical in formulas to brand name drugs, but marketed separately and often at lower prices.Though many organisations use different definitions, counterfeit drugs are generally considered to be drugs made to look like those manufactured by regulated companies, but which often contain incorrect dosages or even incorrect ingredients.Many of the counterfeits are produced in countries such as China and India but, according to the Pharmaceutical Security Institute, counterfeit factories also have been found in Egypt and Colombia.In Africa, where drugs are crucial to the fight against diseases like malaria and Aids, the threat of counterfeiting is big. According to a 2009 study by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 50 per cent to 60 per cent of anti-infection drugs tested in Asia and Africa contained incorrect dosages. Besides the risk of overdose, the report found that drugs containing low doses of medication — particularly anti-malarial medication — could help promote drug resistance in deadly diseases.There also is a fear that harmful counterfeit medicines could push rural communities in Africa to re-adopt traditional medicines to address their needs.
Dar es Salaam. A pharmaceutical manufacturer giant, GlaxoSmithKline, has announced that it will halve prices of some drugs.This is partly intended to fight the sale of counterfeit medicines in East Africa. According to GSK East Africa managing director John Musunga, about 30 per cent of drugs in developing countries are counterfeits.“Counterfeiting is done when a drug is expensive, scarce and when regulators are not manning borders properly,” he told The Citizen at the weekend in Dar es Salaam.“Such medicines pose a serious health risk to patients who use them without knowing their dangers.”
Mr Musunga said reducing prices of frequently used drugs would enable poor households to afford quality medication within their meagre budgets.With its headquarters in the UK, GSK is a global organisation with offices in over 100 countries and major research centres in Britain, the US, Belgium and China.It supplies various medicines in East Africa.Last week, representatives of the world’s major pharmaceutical companies gathered in Nairobi to discuss ways of fighting counterfeit medicines in East Africa.They discussed dangers of counterfeit medicines as well as ways to limit the spread of the drugs around the world.
Health officials, police, customs officers and pharmaceutical industry representatives planned to prevent the distribution of fake medicines, along with measures needed to tighten pharmaceutical security.Representatives from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Madagascar attended the conference.
Counterfeit drugs are different from generic drugs, which are identical in formulas to brand name drugs, but marketed separately and often at lower prices.Though many organisations use different definitions, counterfeit drugs are generally considered to be drugs made to look like those manufactured by regulated companies, but which often contain incorrect dosages or even incorrect ingredients.Many of the counterfeits are produced in countries such as China and India but, according to the Pharmaceutical Security Institute, counterfeit factories also have been found in Egypt and Colombia.In Africa, where drugs are crucial to the fight against diseases like malaria and Aids, the threat of counterfeiting is big. According to a 2009 study by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 50 per cent to 60 per cent of anti-infection drugs tested in Asia and Africa contained incorrect dosages. Besides the risk of overdose, the report found that drugs containing low doses of medication — particularly anti-malarial medication — could help promote drug resistance in deadly diseases.There also is a fear that harmful counterfeit medicines could push rural communities in Africa to re-adopt traditional medicines to address their needs.
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