Let’s get rid of substandard medicine

NMS General Manager Moses Kamabare shows how drugs are stored in Entebbe. PHOTO/COURTEYS

There are questions as to what National Drug Authority (NDA) is doing regarding the unethical herbal medicine adverts on various media stations and the rampant hawkers of drugs. 

There is increasing preference for herbal medicines use because of their accessibility, affordability and cultural familiarity. There is also widespread misconception that herbal medicines are harmless and have no risks despite the fact that medicinal plants are inherently toxic. The widespread misconception and the ever-increasing demand has led to many unscrupulous individuals joining the trade in herbal medicines.

This has led to many non-compliances which include, illegal media advertisements and publication of descriptive matter related to herbal medicines that is contrary to the National Drug Policy and Authority Act. 

Herbal medicines were used by humankind for the treatment of various diseases before the advent of orthodox medicine, and to this day,  they serve the healthcare needs of the population.  
In the rural areas, a large proportion of the population use herbal medicines to meet their primary healthcare needs. 

Cognizant of the large market and demand for medicinal plants and herbal products, NDA continues to provide support to herbalists to strengthen processes in herbal medicines production, registration, pharmacovigilance and ethical promotion. This includes encouraging research, and commercialisation of herbal medicine.

Among the ongoing interventions NDA has put in place  include several engagements held with partner agencies  such as Uganda National Bureau of Standards and the Uganda Communication Commission to curb unethical herbal medicine/health drinks advertisements, which are not only misleading but placing public lives at risk. 

NDA has also extensively engaged media operators and owners on advertising standards, regarding running advertisements with nutritional and therapeutic claims.

The collaboration with operators of buses plying the city centre and upcountry routes has increased public awareness of risks associated with buying medicines from hawkers. This has resulted in reduced incidences of selling medicines on buses and the respective parks.

There is continuous engagement and training of herbal manufacturers to improve the quality of their products that has resulted in 189 notified local herbal medicines, with some manufacturers making multiple products. NDA has to date provided capacity building to 55 herbal medicine and natural product manufacturers.

A quality assurance assessment training package for occupation herbalists has been developed with Directorate of Industrial Training to complement the regulatory training conducted by NDA. The occupation herbalists training package content includes forming, maintaining, harvesting, post-harvest handling, packaging, labelling, storage of herbal medicine among others. This will augment the availability of trained personnel to support the implementation of  current NDA gazetted professional licensing guidelines that provide for licensing of the premises selling herbal medicines.

Even with those milestones achieved, the challenges are still many and require owners/managers of media stations to comply with NDA drug advertising standards to mitigate the vice.  The public is urged to access medicines from NDA licensed premises and be vigilant and report wrong elements in the pharmaceutical sector to 0800 101 999, if we are to control substandard and counterfeit herbal medicines in Uganda.

Fredrick Ssekyana, National Drug Authority