African Medicines Agency partners with Medicines for Africa to strengthen fight against fake medicines

Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | The African Medicines Agency (AMA) has signed a partnership with Medicines for Africa (MFA) aimed at strengthening advocacy and public communication to curb the circulation of substandard and falsified medical products across the continent. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed on July 16, will see the continental medicines regulator draw on MFA’s expertise in advocacy and communications to support National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) in raising public awareness and strengthening efforts to combat unsafe medicines. The partnership comes as African countries continue to grapple with the circulation of poor-quality and falsified medicines, which undermine treatment outcomes, threaten patient safety and erode confidence in health systems. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated one in 10 medical products in low- and middle- income countries is either substandard or falsified, exposing millions of patients to ineffective or potentially harmful treatment. AMA Director-General H.E. Dr Delese Mimi Darko said stronger collaboration between regulators and public advocacy organisations was critical to addressing the challenge. “The African Medicines Agency was established to strengthen regulatory cooperation and improve access to safe, quality and efficacious medical products across Africa”. “ Substandard and falsified medical products thrive on fragmented supply chains and regulatory oversight. By strengthening continental coordination and regulatory harmonisation on SF medical products, and combining this with the targeted public engagement that MFA leads, we will ensure that regulatory excellence translates into safer outcomes for patients and stronger public confidence in medical products”, he added. The agency said fragmented supply chains and uneven regulatory oversight continue to create opportunities for falsified and substandard medicines to enter African markets, placing patients at risk of severe or even fatal health consequences. Under the agreement, AMA and MFA will jointly implement advocacy and communication initiatives designed to improve public awareness of medicine quality while supporting national regulators in preventing unsafe products from reaching patients. Medicines for Africa Founder and Chief Executive Officer Dr Lenias Hwenda said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to placing patient safety at the centre of Africa’s medicines agenda. “This partnership reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that we put patient safety at the centre of Africa’s medicines agenda”. “Together with the African Medicines Agency, we will undertake joint communication and advocacy programmes and initiatives that will help in combatting the circulation of substandard and falsified medical products in Africa.” Share on: WhatsAppThe post African Medicines Agency partners with Medicines for Africa to strengthen fight against fake medicines appeared first on The Independent Uganda:.