Kenya has made the first notable step to deal with illegal trafficking of ARVs by recently launching digital drug surveillance technology in Nairobi.
Kenya has made the first notable step to deal with illegal trafficking of ARVs by recently launching digital drug surveillance technology in Nairobi.
The Pharmacovigilance Electronic Reporting System (PV-ERS) is a suite of software applications with a web portal, which is downloadable through computers and hand held mobile devices.
It is a user friendly technology designed to involve civilians in reporting illegal trafficking of medicines in East Africa, as well as counterfeit drugs.
To back the new system, eleven surveillance points have been established to monitor illegal trafficking of medicines from Kenya to the larger Eastern Africa region.
According to Dr. Kipkerich Koskei, the registrar PPB, more sentinel points will be established in the course of the year to curb smuggling of Kenya’s medicine stockpiles outside the country.
“There is a mindset within the region that Kenya’s medicines are of good quality hence the increasing demand for them by the rest of East Africans,” says Koskei.
According to him, about 60 per cent of the imported medicines are repackaged in Kenya and then exported to the rest of East Africa.
“This is because many pharmaceutical companies prefer working from Nairobi,” explains Koskei.
But the rising demand has also given way to syndicates that duplicate the drugs, duping many into buying sub standard products, he says.
For instance, stavudine and nevirapine are some of the substandard ARVs that have continued to persist in the market.
However, the launch of the digital tool is expected to support medicine and patient safety through an internet enabled reporting system.
The first of its kind in Africa, the tool allows civilians and healthcare workers early detection and tracking of diseases and medicines, according to Dr. Jayesh Pandit, the Head of Pharmacovigilance at PPB.
“We used hard copy forms to report in the previous tracking process hence lengthy processing of data,” explained Pandit. “The online system is fast, user friendly and also allows storage of huge data within a short period of time.”
The surveillance system was developed by a local company, Intersoft, and supported by the United State Agency for International Development (USAID).
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