Shocking fresh details have emerged on the controversy surrounding the recently recalled 4 million fake Life Guard condoms in Uganda.
Government recently ordered Marie Stopes Uganda, a Non-Government Organisation that offers reproductive health services, to recall two batches of Life Guard condoms on the Ugandan market following complaints from customers. Marie Stopes are the sole distributors of the condoms in question in Uganda.
New details now indicate that a top pharmacist at Marie Stopes authorized the release of the fake condoms on the Ugandan market without prior authorization from the National Drug Authority (NDA).
The development is contained in a statement by Sarah Opendi, Minister of State for Health General Duties to Parliament after MPs tasked the Ministry of Health to explain how the fake condoms hit the market under their watch.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the Pharmacist of Marie Stopes Kohora Ojambo Geofrey wrote an internal memo in November to the management of Marie Stopes to release the condoms on the pretext that NDA had cleared them whereas not,” Opendi’s statement reads in part.
The Minister’s statement was in response to a concern raised on 20th November 20l9, by Kasambya County MP, Mbwatekemawa Gaffa in relation to the condoms.
According to NDA, the condoms from batches- 19040205 and 19050105 manufactured in April and May 2019 with expiry dates for March and April 2024 do not meet market standards.
Minister Opendi explained that condoms are subject to mandatory analysis before release to the market by NDA Quality Control laboratory, a laboratory prequalified by World Health Organisation (WHO) and also accredited by ANAB (a certification Agency for USA), to ISO/lEC 17025 Standard.
She said that the laboratory is at level 4 in terms of quality and this implies that it is among the best laboratory for testing drugs and condoms.
According to Government, every importer is given a conditional release to quarantine the product until analysis results are provided by the laboratory.
However, NDA during routine surveillance on the market detected two unauthorized batches; 19050105 and 19040205 that had been released to the market, which prompted a recall.
The Minister says as of 21st November 2019, 70% of the consignment had been recovered and NDA inspectors and the importer are in the field to retrieve more condoms.
The Minister added that the earlier retrieved stock- 46% were destroyed at Luwero Industries Limited, Nakasongola on 31st October 2019 and the additional quantities retrieved are under quarantine awaiting destruction as the recall process from all regions continues.
At the moment, investigations regarding unauthorized release of the fake Life Guard condoms onto the market are ongoing and any apprehended culprits shall face the law under the provisions of the National Drug Authority Act, the Minister said.
NDA team is working with Marie Stopes is conducting surveillance to retrieve the 29.2% faulty condoms that are still on the market.
According to data from the ministry of health, an estimated 800 million condoms are needed to protect Ugandans from unplanned for pregnancies, HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
