The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) has warned Kenyans against a counterfeit batch of Postinor-2 (P-2) emergency contraceptive pills circulating in the Kenyan market.
The regulator said the affected product, Postinor-2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75mg), bears batch number T34197R and falsely claims to have been manufactured by Gedeon Richter Plc.
“The Board detected a falsified POSTINOR-2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75mg tablets) Batch No. T34197R, misleadingly claiming to be manufactured by Gedeon Richter,” the regulator said in a public alert.
The Board said it detected the falsified product through its post-marketing surveillance activities and identified several differences between the suspect batch and genuine Postinor-2 supplied by Gedeon Richter.
These include differences in the batch-number printing method, printing and typographical errors in the patient information leaflet and a different carton sealing method. The regulator said genuine packs use a hot-melt closure, which is absent from the falsified product.
PPB also indicated that the orange colour on the brand name and other areas of the packaging is more intense than on the genuine product, while the logo revealed after scratching the authentication panel uses a different font.
“These observations strongly indicate that the product is falsified and is not manufactured or released by Gedeon Richter,” PPB stated.
The regulator warned that the falsified tablets could pose a health risk to users.
“This batch of falsified Postinor-2 may contain incorrect amounts of the active ingredient, no active ingredient at all, harmful contaminants, or undeclared substances, and therefore may not provide the intended therapeutic effect,” PPB said.
Healthcare professionals have been urged to verify the authenticity of their stocks before dispensing the medicine and quarantine any suspected falsified products.
The regulator has also called on procurement agencies, hospitals, distributors, pharmacists, pharmaceutical technologists and members of the public to immediately report any encounter with the affected batch.
PPD revealed that two people had already been arrested after being found in possession of the falsified product with investigations ongoing to establish the source of the pills, their point of entry into the country and the extent of their distribution.
