Viagra, HIV kits, Truvada among fake health products in Kenyan market; PPB warns

According to PPB, male sexual enhancement drugs (e.g.Viagra), HIV testing kits, and anticoagulants (blood thinners) used for dialysis patients are among the most affected products.

Speaking at the launch of the national initiative to combat counterfeit and health products, the PPB Director of Product Safety, Dr Edward Abwao, stated that the board's investigations have revealed the presence of these products in the market, putting Kenyans' lives at risk.

Dr. Abwao cited an incident that occurred in Kilifi County, where a nurse noticed a patient's blood starting to clot during dialysis, immediately halted the treatment, and used an alternative medication. The case is currently in court.

According to the PPB, a total of 1,413 complaints about the quality of health products were reported between 2021 and 2025, resulting in the recall of 99 products from the market.

Kenya has now launched its National Action Plan on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products to tame the sale and distribution of substandard medical products.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Interministerial Steering Committee (ISC) to implement the Action Plan, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale emphasized that substandard and falsified medical products remain a major threat to patient safety, health security and economic development. 

He said tackling the challenge will require collaboration among regulatory agencies, law enforcement, border control authorities, county governments, healthcare professionals, manufacturers, distributors, development partners and the public.

On his part, Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) Chairperson John Munyu said the initiative marks the beginning of a stronger national partnership to protect lives, strengthen public confidence in the health system and secure the future of healthcare in Kenya.

Dr. Munyu noted that over the past eight months, the Board has undertaken regulatory reforms aimed at strengthening the integrity of Kenya’s health products regulatory system. 

The reforms, he said, include the mandatory re-registration of legacy medical products, strengthened surveillance at ports of entry, enhanced risk-based inspections and enforcement across the supply chain, and expanded post-market surveillance and pharmacovigilance systems to improve early detection and response.

He however, said that substandard and falsified medical products continue to exploit weaknesses across supply chains, international trade, border control, law enforcement, digital commerce and criminal networks, impeding an effective crackdown on the crisis.

PPB's Head of Post-Marketing Surveillance Edward Abwao said that between 2021 and 2025, 99 products were recalled while 32,833 adverse event reports were reported between 2011 and 2025.

Likewise, 18 suspected falsified medicine alerts were issued from 2020 to 2026, while 1,413 product quality complaints were received from 2021 to 2025.

Dr. Munyu said the Action Plan provides an opportunity to establish a coordinated approach to prevent, detect and respond to substandard and falsified medical products. 

Also present in the launch was Council of Governors (CoG) Vice Chairperson and  Tharaka Nithi County Governor Muthomi Njuki, CoG CEO Mary Mwiti, PPB CEO Ahmed Mohamed, WHO and IGAD representatives among others.