The Managing Director of Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA), Dr. Luke Bawo has disclosed that 45% of substandard and expired drugs are being sold daily on the Liberian Market.
Speaking at a one-day media engagement on Friday, July 12, 2024, in Monrovia, Dr. Bawo said, “The quality of commodity sold or circulated is bad. We have about 45 percent of substandard or expired drugs being advertised and sold every day, and it is a serious health threat. The LMHRA Managing Director also informed the media that there are 180 tons of expired drugs in the country, and that if they are not disposed of, they will find their way into the market.
Due to these substandard or expired drugs, Dr. Bawo pointed out that there has been lingering distrust in the formal health sector, as many patients are not being relieved from their ailments at health facilities. Bawo believes that the media can be used as the best partner in bringing an end to false advertisement in a quest to secure efficacies of quality health products.
“We have a society where false advertisement is a bound, and so in our quest to secure efficacy of drugs we have to curtail false advertisement and the media can help in this constructively,” he stated. The training forum aimed to provide the media about the negative impact of false advertisement on health.
It was also intended to educate journalists on the importance of accurate, balanced and credible information dissemination on health products, while at the same time discussed the pathway to certifying advertisement on health products.
During the engagement, Dr. Bawo underscored the importance of media involvement in ending false advertisements on medical/health products. According to the LMHRA boss, the quality of bad health products in circulation on the Liberian market is alarming, and as such, there is a need for education and awareness.
