Chapter One Foundation Sues ZAMRA Over Substandard Drugs

Civil society group, the Chapter One Foundation, has sued the Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) as well as the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supply Agency (ZMMSA) for exposing citizens to substandard medical supplies, which they claim has had disastrous effects on the health of many Zambians. 

Chapter One have demanded that ZAMRA and ZAMMSA provide the names and batch numbers of all recalled medicines and medical supplies provided by Honeybee Pharmaceuticals, the International Drug Company Ltd. and Shalina Pharmaceuticals Zambia. 

The group say they want to understand the extent to which the recalled medicines were distributed across the country, with details to be published in a national newspaper.

In a statement to the court, Chapter One said “the sub-standard medicines and medical supplies had already been in circulation for an undisclosed period and distributed to unsuspecting members of the public”.

It added that “the distribution and subsequent recall of substandard medicines and medical supplies was caused by a breach of statutory duty on the part of ZAMRA and ZAMMSA”. 

In February, ZAMRA instituted a recall of several drugs and medical supplies, after the parliamentary public accounts committee found that much of the equipment supplied to ZAMRA by HoneyBee pharmaceuticals was unsafe.

The supplies included batches of aspirin which had grown mouldy and latex gloves and condoms that leaked when filled with water. 

The Ministry of Health had previously awarded HoneyBee a contract to supply medical kits worth $17 million. The scandal led to then-Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya being dismissed from his cabinet position. 

Now, Chapter One say that ZAMRA also failed to “verify the safety, quality and efficacy of the recalled medicines and medical supplies prior to distribution”. 

In doing so the authority has endangered the lives of many Zambians at a time when the country is facing an unprecedented health crisis as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.