Bukoba — THE East African Community member states are poised to ratify laws to control the importation of inferior pharmaceutical and food products, says the Director of Medicines and Complimentary Products under the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA), Mr Adam Fimbo. “

Tanzania was the first among EAC nations to have ratified the laws in controlling the safety, quality and effectiveness of food, medicines, cosmetics and medical devices,” he disclosed.

Other EAC nation will soon follow suit, he added. “Upon completion of this exercise we shall have uniform standards,” he said. Mr Fimbo made the remarks recently during a meeting between TFDA officials and representatives of different media outlets from Kagera and Geita regions,

as part of enlightening the people in the Lake Zone. He also revealed that TFDA had plans to install special mini-testing labs in all 32 entry points in seven zones to ensure consumers were safe and the market was free of inferior drugs,

foods and diagnostics. Various strategies have been put in place that would maintain strict and timely testing of the products with state-of- the art laboratory stationed in Mwanza City as the headquarters in the Lake Zone area comprising six regions-Simiyu, Kagera, Mwanza, Geita, Shinyanga and Mara.

He cited, for instance, that the Post Marketing Surveillance programmes (PMS), which between January and March this year, had handled 594 samples of human drugs it collected and tested and found that 96 per cent of them met the required standards.

He urged the media to come up with interventions by providing public education to the consumers on inferior products also challenging them to uncover and report those behind the racket.

Entrepreneurs in various social economic groups were also encouraged to register themselves under TFDA by paying a fee of 50,000/-, he said. TFDA is a Regulatory body under the Ministry for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children responsible for controlling the safety, quality and effectiveness of food, medicines, cosmetics and medical devices.

Source: All Africa

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