Sh40m worth of illicit drugs destroyed

The director of medical services, Dr Nicholas Muraguri and other senior medical officers at an incinerator burning cartons of fake drugs at the Ever Green warehouse in Nairobi November 24 2015. ANTHONY OMUYA  

By STELLAR MURUMBA, smurumba@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• The director of medical services, Nicholas Muraguri said that the drugs were confiscated by the PPB drug inspectors from distribution outlets, private chemists, public hospitals, warehouses, for non-compliance and poor storage conditions.

Drugs worth Sh40 million were Tuesday destroyed in Nairobi as the government intensified its crackdown on illicit drugs.

The crackdown was jointly conducted by the Ministry of Health, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) among other partners.

The seized consignment, which weighed 67,000kg also included spurious, falsely labelled, expired and falsified counterfeits medicines for anti-hypertensive, cough syrups, antibiotics and painkillers, from different outlets in the country.

The director of medical services, Nicholas Muraguri said that the drugs were confiscated by the PPB drug inspectors from distribution outlets, private chemists, public hospitals, warehouses, for non-compliance and poor storage conditions.

READ: Pharmacy board goes hi-tech in war on harmful drugs

“Some of these drugs were nabbed at different points of entry and some made their way in illegally or were diverted from other markets. Some have expired. We are not going to tolerate illegal importation and illegal practice and sale of pharmaceutical products in this country,” said Dr Muraguri.

In the 5,000 pharmaceutical outlets countrywide surveyed in June over 800 pharmacies were found to be selling illegal drugs.