Govt Warns of Fake Cancer Drug in Circulation

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) has warned Kenyans about a suspicious batch of falsified Avastin (Bevacizumab 100 mg) Injection, Batch Number H0573B01, detected in the market.

Avastin (bevacizumab) 100 mg injection is a targeted cancer therapy that works by inhibiting the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors.

It is a monoclonal antibody often used in combination with other chemotherapy drugs for various types of cancer. 

In a statement issued on Thursday, October 9, PPB instructed all procurement agencies, distributors, pharmacists, pharmaceutical technologists, healthcare workers, and the public to stay alert and promptly report any cases involving the falsified batch of Avastin.

“The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (hereinafter The Board) is the National Regulatory Authority, established under the Pharmacy and Poisons Act, Cap 244, Laws of Kenya, mandated to protect and promote the health of the public by regulating the profession of pharmacy and ensuring access to quality, safe, and efficacious health products and technologies,” read the statement in part.

“In line with its mandate, the Board has identified a falsified batch of Avastin (Bevacizumab 100 mg) Injection, Batch Number H0573B01, falsely purporting to be manufactured by Roche, currently circulating in the Kenyan market.”

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Pharmacy and Poisons Board Warns of Falsified Avastin Injection

At the same time, the board directed all stakeholders in the supply chain to source Health Products and Technologies (HPTs) exclusively from licensed manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers.

“Obtaining products from unlicensed sources endangers patient safety and will result in strict regulatory and legal consequences,” PPB warned.

The Poisons Board said that it will take legal and regulatory action against any individual or entity involved in circulating the falsified batch, in violation of the Pharmacy and Poisons Act (CAP 244).

Members of the public and healthcare providers have been urged to promptly report any suspected substandard or falsified medical products to the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB).

Reports can be made through the online portal at https://pv.pharmacyboardkenya.org/users/mpublic, via the USSD code *271#, the mobile app mPvERS (available on Android and iOS), by email at [email protected] or [email protected], or by telephone at 0795 743 049.

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Board Dismisses Claims of Drug Import Ban

This comes just a few days after reports claimed that the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) planned to block the importation of more than 21,000 medical products — allegations the agency dismissed as false and intended to cause “unwarranted public anxiety.”

PPB, the national medicines regulator, clarified that there is no blockade on the importation of medicines in Kenya. This follows warnings from the Kenya Pharmaceutical Distributors Association (KPDA) that pharmacy shelves across the country could run empty within two weeks.

“The claim that Kenya is on the brink of a medicines crisis is false, misleading, and intended to cause unwarranted public anxiety,” the Board said in a statement, adding that Kenya continues to have access to thousands of approved medical products.

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