N EWS: NDA bans use of Metakeflin to treat Malaria

NDA bans use of Metakeflin to treat Malaria

from MONITOR online 8/17/09



National Drug Authority (NDA) Executive Secretary, Apollo Muhairwe with the banned Metakelfin at NDA offices. Muhairwe urged patients not to buy Metakelfin for any therapeutic purposes. Photo by Nelson Wesonga

The National Drug Authority (NDA), the national drug regulator, has banned the use of Metakeflin tablets which are used to treat malaria.Addressing a press conference today morning at the NDA offices in Kampala, the regulator’s Chief Executive Officer, Apollo Muhairwe said this follows a change in the Malaria Treatment Policy by the Ministry of Health in which Artemisinin based Combination Therapies (ACTs) were adopted as first line treatment for uncomplicated malaria.“Thus, all antimalarials that do not contain ACTs were phased out in that regard, in order to curb the emerging resistance amongst the available ant malarial drugs,” Mr Muhairwe said.Mr Muhairwe told journalists that NDA stopped the importation of Metakelfin (sulphurmethoxypyrazin/pyrimethamine) in May last year. Mr Muhairwe also showed journalists some of the tablets that were seized after they discovered they found their way into the country through unscrupulous means. Out of every 15 batches, 10 of them were counterfeit.All drug stores have been asked to surrender all the stocks of Metakelfin to the drugs authority.