Pharmacists inspecting drugs. [PHOTO/standardmedia.co.ke]
A study has found out that over a dozen pneumonia generic drugs sold at Nairobi pharmacies do not meet internationally accepted standards at the National Quality Control Laboratory (NQCL).
Recent tests on 16 types of generic drugs sold from retail pharmacies in Nairobi failed to meet equivalence standards to the original drugs.
Of these 16, only four met the required criteria for similarity with the original brand product, Klacid.
The report published Wednesday last week in the Scientia Pharmaceutica journal by scientists at NQCL and the University of Nairobi said the generics in the local market were not as effective as the originals and that they came with side effects.
“We only picked on clarithromycin because it is normally an unstable compound and wanted to know how the market is dealing with the challenge,” lead author Rebecca O. Manani said.
They now want extensive studies conducted to establish the quality of generic drugs in the country, and specifically check whether or not they are of equal standard as the brand products that they claim to mimic.