HoneyBee Pharmaceutical Licence Officially Revoked

The government has officially revoked the pharmaceutical licence for HoneyBee Pharmacy, following the recall of 30 medical products supplied by the company.

HoneyBee has been at the centre of a government procurement scandal this year after a parliamentary inquiry found that the pharmacy supplied several faulty medical products, including mouldy paracetamol and leaky condoms.

The company was awarded a contract worth $17 million in June 2020, despite not being an officially registered company at the time.

The scandal led to former Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya being sacked from his cabinet position. 

HoneyBee’s lawyer, Tutwa Ngulube, has since filed an appeal with the Lusaka High Court to prevent the Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) from cancelling its licence. 

On Monday ZAMRA announced that it had recalled a further 19 products supplied by HoneyBee, including pregnancy tests and vaginal inserts.