Kenya And Uganda Partner With International Stakeholders To Protect Consumers From Illicit Medical Products
PPB Chief Executive Officer Dr Fred Siyoi
By Kenya News Agency
The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) of Kenya and the National Drug Authority (NDA) of Uganda have forged a bilateral initiative which brings focus to the shared threat posed by illicit medical products.
This collaborative effort involves participation from counterpart agencies in the United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union, as well as multinational organisations and the regulated pharmaceutical industry.
Under an initiative known as Operation African Star, joint enforcement teams will target violative shipments of health products encountered via postal and air cargo in both countries in addition to reciprocal training.
Operation African Star aims to improve health outcomes by working collaboratively to better understand and disrupt the illicit trade in health products, pharmaceutical preparations, medical devices, and equipment across Africa.
PPB Chief Executive Officer Dr Fred Siyoi speaking over the course of four days, under the Operation African Star initiative, said that the threat posed by illicit trade in health products and technologies impacts global public health, and consumers.
“This risk increases when health products and technologies are obtained outside of the unregulated supply chain. Safety and efficacy which cannot be assured threatens the East African Community and public health at large,” said Dr Siyoi.
He said that PPB is committed to protection of public health through collaboration with domestic and international partner agencies and organisations.
“PPB is proud to partner with the NDA to design and execute Operation African Star. We envision this as an iterative initiative with the potential to develop into an internationally recognised best practice,” said Dr Siyoi.
He highlighted that the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, Kenya, adopted the multi-Agency approach in addressing the issue of illicit trade with participating Authorities and Agencies being drawn from Kenya Revenue Authority, The Immigration services, AntiNarcotics, National Intelligence Services, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Kenya Airports Authority, the PostMaster General, Communication Authority of Kenya and the Anti-Counterfeit Authority.
Dr Siyoi said that valuable contributions were provided by a host of international organisations, including the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board, Universal Postal Union, and the Pharmaceutical Security Institute. During Operation African Star, joint enforcement teams examined shipments of human medicines, biologic products, and dietary supplements.
NDA chairman Dr Medard Bitekyerezo said that a multilateral initiative like Operation African Star allows stakeholders to exchange and develop best practices as they position themselves to collectively combat current threats to public health and safety and prepare for those yet to come.
“As evidenced by the wide array of support generated for this initiative, there is a growing recognition that to effectively combat these types of dangerous products requires crosscutting partnerships,” he said.
Dr Bitekyerezo said that the NDA is also committed to fighting these types of shared threats to public health and safety by working across sectors and governments to target bad actors distributing these types of dangerous products.
“Individuals who purchase prescription medicines from unauthorized sources may be putting their health at risk because these medicines may be falsified, substandard, expired, or otherwise unsafe for use,” cautioned Dr Bitekyerezo.
United States Food and Drug Administration Assistant Commissioner for Criminal Investigations Justin Green said that while the global supply chain has made medicines more accessible, it has simultaneously made it increasingly challenging to identify illicit products and hold bad actors accountable.
“The FDA greatly appreciates the opportunity to work with Kenyan, Ugandan, and other key international partners to bring focus to a global public health threat and values the implementation of a pioneering initiative to combat it,” said Green.
Green said that Operation African Star benefited greatly from the existing strong and mutually beneficial relationships between the governments of Uganda and Kenya.
“Operational outcomes included the initiation of criminal investigations, seizures of violative products, and the exchange of actionable intelligence. Efforts are already underway regarding strategies to alert consumers of the dangers associated with illicit medicines and to aid in the decision-making of front-line personnel. Planning is ongoing regarding follow-on enforcement actions and training opportunities,” explained Green.
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