The National Drug Authority (NDA) has issued a public warning urging caution when purchasing HIV self-test kits after uncovering expired diagnostics being sold in pharmacies across downtown Kampala.
According to Abiaz Rwamwiri, NDA’s public relations officer, several shops along Wilson Street in Kampala were raided over the weekend, resulting in the arrest of ten suspects.
The suspects were found in possession of boxes of HIV drugs and test kits with altered expiry dates, deliberately modified to extend their shelf life. The NDA’s surveillance and enforcement team also recovered several boxes of anti-malarial drugs labelled “Government of Uganda, Not for Sale.”
The operation in Kampala’s city centre followed a similar crackdown in eastern Uganda, where unauthorized sales of HIV drugs, antimalarials, and test kits were reported in open makeshift markets in Bukhaweka and Butilu (Namisindwa district) and Arapai (Soroti city).
Experts have raised concerns that the circulation of expired diagnostics could lead to new HIV infections, as individuals might base critical health decisions on inaccurate test results.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, the NDA, with approval from the Makindye Utilities Court, donated some of the confiscated government drugs to hospitals in need. The drugs were distributed to government-run health facilities in six districts in Luweero, Kayunga, Buikwe, Buvuma, Mukono, and Nakasongola which have been grappling with frequent stockouts of anti-retroviral drugs.
The NDA has vowed to continue its crackdown on illegal pharmaceutical practices to safeguard public health and ensure the availability of genuine medicines.