I recently received an email/notification from the National Drug Authority (NDA). The email talked about the fact that there was a counterfeit brand of coartem on the market.
The communication brings to your attention a Counterfeit Coartem® with the Green Leaf AMFm wallet packs that have been found on the market with the following pack details.
Batch number……..NOF 2153.
Date of manufacture: 06 2015.
Expiry Date……………07 2018.
NDA Quality Control Laboratory tested the Wallet Pack Counterfeit Coartem® and results indicated no active ingredients of Artemether or Lumefantrine.
The wallet packs of 24 tablets bear a shelf life of 3 years, which is not representative of the genuine Coartem® whose shelf life is 2 years. We therefore advise all health professionals not to stock, buy or dispense the above packaging of Counterfeit Coartem as it poses grave danger to the public and should not be on sale in any outlet.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals the manufacturer of the genuine Coartem®, through the Local Technical Representative Surgipharm Uganda Ltd stopped the supply of the Green Leaf AMFm Wallet pack Coartem®, to the private sector in 2014. Effectively no wallet packs whatsoever, should be on sale in the private sector.
Please note that the green leaf coartem® in a box is the genuine product authorized for sale in private drug outlets.
It is a criminal offence to deal in counterfeit products as they greatly endanger the lives of the population. Should you come across any of the aforementioned packs or any other suspicious packs, urgently report to NDA.
Markers for counterfeits may be a change in name with an addition of one letter or omission. It could also be a slight change in packaging say the quality of pack or even the colour. This might be different or the shades might vary. Sometimes the dates on the pack have been tampered with. Sometimes there is a seal that one needs to identify.It is imperative that one has a keen eye.
The writer is a pharmacist
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