The Pharmacy and Poisons Board has warned Kenyans about a falsified batch of Postinor-2 emergency contraceptive pills found in circulation in the country.
The regulator identified the affected product as levonorgestrel 0.75mg tablets bearing batch number T34197R. It said the product was being presented as genuine Postinor-2 despite evidence that it had not been manufactured or released as an authentic batch.
The warning has raised concerns for women who rely on emergency contraception, particularly because counterfeit medicines may contain the wrong amount of an active ingredient or none at all. They may also contain substances that are not declared on the packaging.
The Board said the counterfeit batch was detected during routine post-marketing surveillance of medicines and other health products in Kenya.
Its assessment found several differences between the suspected counterfeit and genuine Postinor-2 packs. These included differences in the way the batch number was printed, errors on the patient information leaflet and variations in how the carton was sealed.
The regulator also observed that the orange colour used on parts of the packaging appeared noticeably stronger than on the genuine product. The lettering visible beneath the authentication panel also differed from the authentic version.
“These differences strongly indicate that batch T34197R is falsified and was not manufactured or released as a genuine product,” the Board said.
The discovery has also prompted a criminal investigation. The Board said two people had been arrested after being found in possession of the suspected counterfeit medicine.
Investigators are now working to establish where the product came from, how it entered Kenya and how widely it may have been distributed.
The Board has urged pharmacies, hospitals, distributors and other healthcare providers to check their stocks carefully and isolate any suspected products.
Members of the public have also been encouraged to report any encounters with the affected batch to the authorities.
The regulator said medicines should be purchased only from licensed manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers. Buying from unlicensed suppliers, it warned, puts patients at risk and breaches Kenyan law.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the Board said it would take legal and regulatory action against those found responsible for manufacturing, importing or distributing falsified health products.
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