Metakelfin banned in Uganda due to resistance and counterfeits

By Alfred Nyongesa Wandera, Monitor News:
Kampala

The government has banned the use of the anti-malaria drug, Metakelfin. The head of the National Drug Authority (NDA) announced yesterday that the ban follows a change in the country's malaria treatment policy, in which Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies were adopted as first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria.

NDA boss Apollo Muhairwe said anti-malaria drugs that are not Artemisinin-based had been phased out to curb growing resistance to them by the parasites that cause malaria. Although NDA stopped importing Metakelfin last May, Mr Muhairwe showed journalists a batch of tablets that he said were seized after being smuggled into the country. Out of every 15 batches of tablets, 10 were counterfeit, he said.

According to NDA officials, the sulphur content in Metakelfin causes adverse side effects when the tablets are taken. The malaria parasites have also grown increasingly resistant to Metakelfin as well as Fansidar and Chloroquine.

Mr Muhairwe said the drugs were intercepted from informal markets in eastern and northern Uganda through market surveillance by NDA in conjunction with Interpol and Uganda Police. "National Drug Authority therefore notifies and warns the public to refrain from buying and using Metakeflin for any therapeutic purposes in order to avoid endangering one's health," Mr Muhairwe said. "All drug outlets and individuals who are still in possession of stock of this drug are hereby requested to immediately forward it to the head office of NDA or the nearest regional office."

The National Medical Stores publicist Hamis Kaheru yesterday told this newspaper that they no longer stock Metakeflin tablets since the Ministry of Health banned their use.

Mr Kaheru said the NMS has a five-month supply of Coartem, the recommended anti-malaria drug which is procured from the Global Fund against Malaria and Tuberculosis, as well as the Quality Chemicals pharmaceutical plant in Luzira, a Kampala suburb.

"Even if Coartem that we have can only serve Ugandans for five months, we continue receiving more stock from Global Fund and Quality Chemicals Limited. So people should not be worried that after five months there will be no more Coartem drugs to treat malaria," Mr Kaheru said.