Emmanuel Katai Mulenga Demands Wider Probe Into Alleged Illegal Medicine Imports

Emmanuel Katai Mulenga is calling for investigators to look beyond the three foreign nationals apprehended at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport over alleged illegal medicine imports. The president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia says the case should not end with those detained, as the origins and intended destination of the unregistered products remain important questions. According to the report, Mulenga wants the Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority and the Drug Enforcement Commission to establish where the medicines came from, who they were meant for and whether a wider distribution network was involved. He also urged investigators to examine any possible links to licensed pharmaceutical businesses and healthcare professionals. The society’s concern is that unregistered medicines may enter supply chains and reach patients without reliable assurances about their quality, safety or effectiveness. Mulenga’s call focuses on tracing the route of the products and identifying everyone who may have played a role in their importation or distribution. The report does not say that any businesses or healthcare workers have been implicated. Rather, the PSZ is asking authorities to investigate whether such connections exist as they pursue the case. Its warning is that the potential consequences reach beyond the airport apprehensions: patients could be exposed to products whose standards cannot be verified. For now, the request is for ZAMRA and DEC to broaden the inquiry and clarify how the medicines were sourced and where they were headed. The report gives no further details about the products or the three people apprehended.