The government has dismissed rumors of a looming shortage of essential drugs, guaranteeing Kenyans constant supply.
In a Sunday statement, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) said it was “misleading and intended to cause unnecessary alarm” reports that more than 21,000 drugs were being barred from the market.
The regulator claimed there are approximately 9,000 medical products, all cleared for safety and quality, which are active and available for local manufacturing and importation.
“Against these falsehoods, no medicines blockade exists in Kenya. The Board has had approximately 9,000 registered medical products conforming to national and international standards of safety, efficacy, and quality,” the PPB said.
The outcry followed reports on the internet that reforms at the board had stalled importation of critical medication such as insulin, cancer medication, HIV medication and antibiotics evoking alarm of a nationwide shortage.
Health officials had cautioned that this would put an estimated million Kenyans, including over 1.5 million with diabetes, in jeopardy.
PPB clarified that what they were discussing was just a routine regulatory process which requires renewal of all drug registrations once every five years under the Pharmacy and Poisons (Registration of Health Products and Technologies) Rules, 2022.
“All Market Authorisation Holders were instructed to renew their registrations by 31 December 2025. This is routine global regulatory practice – not suspension or ban,” the board explained.
The agency also accused unidentified “unscrupulous individuals and cartels” of trying to generate opposition to its enforcement against illegal imports.
Industry players earlier raised alarm on renewal timelines, saying there would be disruption should thousands of licenses lapse. But the regulator maintains that the system is still in place and panic is uncalled for.
The Pharmacy and Poisons Board is still providing ready access to secure, quality and efficient medicines to Kenyans. We urge the public to dismiss rumors and work with us in safeguarding the health of the country,” PPB said.
