KAPI – Industry Alliance of Health Products and Technologies – convened regulators, industry players and healthcare professionals on 9th June 2026 for the first session of its World Anti-Counterfeit Day Webinar Series, focused on strengthening Kenya’s response to falsified and substandard health products.
Held virtually under the theme “Strengthening Partnerships to Combat Falsified and Substandard Health Products in Kenya,” the webinar brought together the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB), Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA), Medical Technology Industry Association of Kenya (MEDAK), Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society of Kenya (RAPSK), and other stakeholders to address a growing public health threat.
A Shared Public Health Challenge
Opening the session, KAPI Chairperson Dr. James Mokoro emphasized that counterfeiting is too complex for any one stakeholder to solve alone. He called for coordinated action across manufacturers, distributors, regulators, healthcare workers and patients.
“This fight can only be won together,” Dr. Mokoro noted, urging sustained engagement, ethical supply chain practices and stronger reporting of suspicious products before harm occurs.
Why the Threat Matters
The scale of the challenge is significant. In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO, 2017) estimated that 1 in 10 health products in low- and middle-income countries fails quality-control testing. Falsified products may contain no active ingredient, the wrong ingredient, incorrect strength or harmful contaminants, leading to treatment failure, antimicrobial resistance, adverse events and, in severe cases, death.
Regulatory and Enforcement Action
Representing PPB, Dr. Edward Abwao, Head of Post-Market Surveillance, outlined Kenya’s multi-layered approach to prevention, detection and response, including market authorization controls, import verification, inspections, post-market surveillance, laboratory testing, recalls, seizures and supply chain tracing.
Data from PPB shared during the session showed 10 falsified products recalled in 2024, 13 in 2025 and 13 recalls already recorded in 2026. Dr. Abwao noted that these recalls demonstrate a regulatory system that is actively detecting and responding to risks.
PPB also proposed a PPB–Industry Anti-Counterfeit Health Products Forum to bring regulators, manufacturers, KAPI, wholesalers, pharmacy representatives, hospitals, logistics providers and partner agencies together through quarterly engagement and technical workstreams.
From the enforcement perspective, Annie Obiero of the Anti-Counterfeit Authority highlighted ACA’s role in investigations, prosecutions, public education and coordination with agencies such as PPB, KRA, DCI, KEBS and the National Police Service. She also flagged online sales, social media distribution, sophisticated packaging and cross-border routes as emerging risks.
Beyond Medicines: Health Technologies Also at Risk
Dr. Janki Chauhan of Surgipharm and MEDAK Chairperson, broadened the discussion beyond medicines to include medical devices, surgical instruments, diagnostic equipment and in vitro diagnostics. She emphasized that falsified health technologies can cause misdiagnosis, delayed treatment and ineffective care.
Healthcare Workers on the Front Line
A real case shared during the discussion showed the importance of vigilance: a nurse identified a suspected counterfeit medicine after observing treatment failure in a patient, triggering enforcement action. Speakers underscored that healthcare professionals are often the first line of defence and should be supported to recognise, report and escalate suspicious products early.
Shared Solutions
Across the presentations, speakers identified shared vulnerabilities, including fragmented supply chains, inadequate seller verification, online and social media sales outside licensed channels, delayed authentication, weak reporting culture and limited visibility of diverted or cross-border products.
Proposed solutions included stronger regulatory systems, supply chain transparency, ethical procurement, technology-enabled verification, capacity building, intelligence sharing and consistent reporting across sectors.
Looking Ahead
The session marked the first in a two-part series. Webinar 2 is scheduled for 16th June 2026 from 9:00 AM EAT and will focus on digital solutions, including GS1 standards and track-and-trace systems as practical tools for combating counterfeit health products.
Registration for Webinar 2: https://bit.ly/WCD262
A Coordinated Response
The World Anti-Counterfeit Day Webinar Series provides a platform for KAPI, MEDAK and Kenya’s regulatory bodies to align efforts, strengthen trust and advance a coordinated response to counterfeit and falsified health products.
As the session concluded, the message was clear: awareness must translate into coordinated, sustained and multi-sectoral action.
References
WHO. (2017). 1 in 10 medical products in developing countries is substandard or falsified. Geneva: World Health Organization.