Uganda's drug factories sub-standard

By Conan Businge

THE majority of drug manufacturing companies in Uganda do not meet operational standards, according to a new survey. A survey by the National Drug Authority revealed that several companies will be closed soon, after their grading is completed. The companies were not named.

The report was presented at the authority’s annual general meeting at Protea Hotel in Kampala on Thursday. It noted that most companies do not meet required minimum production standards. It also found unsanitary protective uniforms, change rooms, production rooms, stores, corridors and wash areas for manufacturing vessels.”

“Half of the manufacturing companies had problems with cleaning sanitary premises,” said Nasser Mbaziira, the eastern regional drug inspector, “A number of them have procedure guidelines, but no records; and the reverse was true for others.” He added that there were also anomalies in the flow of the production process.

The inspectors explained that there should be a specific flow of the production process to avoid contamination and back flows.

“Much as there is improvement in documentation of manufacturers’ activities, the majority of them do not record the production process,” said the report. It also noted that half the companies did not have internal audit systems and there was little input from the managers in the production process.

Despite the shortcomings, the companies had hand washing facilities, ongoing installations of air-conditioning systems and quality control labs.
Mbaziira said the firms would be graded in five categories depending on their performance. “The worst ones with critical working conditions will have their certificates and licenses withdrawn.

They will also be instantly closed.”
Copies of the survey’s highlights, which were given to the participants, were later withdrawn after complaints from some manufacturers who wanted the results to remain confidential.

“This is unfair to us. How are we going to convince exporters that our products are of good quality? You should have addressed the press, exporters and manufacturers differently,” retorted one as several participants nodded in approval.

However, the authority’s chief inspector, Kate Kikule, said: “There is nothing to hide. In this way we can build our local producers by improving their products’ quality. All drugs are inspected before getting to the market.
“Only those that meet the standard are distributed to the public.”

NDA chief Apollo Muhairwe stressed that the “inspections were done to develop the local drug manufacturing industry.”