Watchdog bans five human drugs

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) has issued a ban on importation, distribution, selling and use of five human drugs after realising that they caused adverse effects, including causing liver and stroke.

The move came after 17 people reportedly encountered difficulties in breathing and became unconscious after taking some of the banned drugs, according to TFDA director general Hiiti Sillo.

He named the banned drugs as ketoconazole capsules which caused liver problems, amodiaquine (menotherapy) which no longer treat malaria, phenilpropanol, chrolamphenic and cloxacillin capsules which caused haemorrhagic stroke, difficulty in breathing and loss of consciousness as well as potency.

Mr Sillo who was speaking in Dar es Salaam yesterday said, the ban was imposed after thorough scientific tests that revealed serious health problems caused by the five drugs that made the authority conclude that they were not fit for human consumption.

According to the TFDA boss, his authority has also decided to change and increase supervision on other drugs currently in use.

They include sulphadoxine and pyrimethamine (SP) that treat malaria. He suggested that SP can only be used for preventing malaria by pregnant women instead of treating the parasite.

Also under supervision is amikacin, kanamycin and levofloxacin that will no longer be used for treating tuberculosis in hospitals and all heath centres across the country.

Mr Sillo advised that the only recommended drug for malaria treatment as of now would be ‘Alu’.

For his part, the director of Cosmetics at the TFDA, Mr Mitangu Fimbo, said in collaboration with the ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the authority had decided to issue a complete ban on the five drugs with immediate effect.

“We have directed all healthcare providers to stop immediately dispensing those drugs to patients and whoever fails to abide by our directive, disciplinary measures and exorbitant fines will be instituted accordingly,’’ he warned.