The National AIDS Commission (NAC) and the Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) in Malawi, pursuant to their mandates under the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Management) Act No. 9 of 2018 and the PMRA Act No. 9 of 2019, respectively, have lamented over increased spread of false, inaccurate and misleading information on HIV treatment, often circulated on social media platforms such as TikTok, WhatsApp and Facebook.
Speaking at a joint press briefing this morning, Dr. Beatrice Matanje Chief Executive Officer for NAC and her counterpart Mr. Mphatso Kawaye, Director General for PMRA said that it is an offense, under Section 25 of the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Management) Act, to proclaim or publish misleading, false or inaccurate information concerning HIV and AIDS. They also argued that it is also an offense under Section 98 of the PMRA Act, 2019 to manufacture, import, assemble, dispense, sale any medicinal product or medical device which is falsified or substandard.
“NAC and PMRA, in liaison with other regulatory bodies such as Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) and Police will pursue all cases of false, inaccurate and misleading information on HIV and AIDS and bring all the perpetrators to book. Anyone with information regarding illegal sale or distribution of falsified medicines is encouraged to report to the two institutions or police for action. The public is further implored to ensure that they are not lured in any way by the sensationalized adverts on HIV and AIDS issues,” Kawaye told the journalists.
According to a statement jointly released by the two government agencies recent joint investigations by NAC and PMRA, in collaboration with Malawi Police Service (MPS), have uncovered disturbing trend where some unscrupulous individuals are tampering with labels of known medicines which they later advertise as “Gammora HIV Cure”, falsely claimed to be permanent cure for HIV and AIDS. The statement asserts that these fake products are then sold to
unsuspecting people living with HIV at exorbitant prices, ranging from K90,000 to K260,000 per purported dose. It also suggests that such deceitful adverts, if shared and believed, have the potential to foster an environment that endangers the lives of many people living with HIV.
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