Pharmacy and poisons board steps up monitoring of health product quality

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB), in collaboration with the National Pharmacovigilance and Post-marketing Surveillance (PV/PMS) technical working group, has ramped up efforts to monitor the quality of health products and technologies (HPTs).

This initiative involves the implementation of a national risk-based post-marketing quality survey aimed at assessing HPTs’ compliance with quality specifications and standards.

The survey is tailored to specific product categories, including cough syrups, herbal medicines for erectile dysfunction (ED products), emergency oral contraceptives, depo-medroxyprogesterone (DMPA) injections, analgesics, antipsychotics, medicines for maternal, neonatal, and child diseases, non-communicable diseases, and cancer medications.

Commencing on April 22, 2024, the field exercise entails data and sample collection from pre-identified sampling facilities across the public, private, and faith-based organization (FBO) sectors.

These facilities encompass various tiers, including central procurement agencies (KEMSA and MEDS), public and private hospitals, health centers, dispensaries, and pharmaceutical outlets.

Samples collected will undergo triage using MiniLabs and compendial analysis at the quality control laboratory, following the survey protocol provisions.

The resulting findings will inform regulatory actions by the PPB, with results and recommendations disseminated to relevant stakeholders through established knowledge management platforms.

PPB urges the public to remain vigilant and report any suspected poor-quality medicines or adverse drug reactions to the nearest healthcare facility and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board through various channels, including the official website, mobile application (mPvERS for both Android & iOS), USSD code (*271#), email (pv@pharmacyboardkenya.org), and telephone (Tel No. 0795743049).