NAC, authority warn against fake Aids cure
National Aids Commission (NAC) and the Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) have cautioned people living with HIV and Aids against getting enticed with fake Aids cure treatment.
Briefing journalists in Lilongwe yesterday, NAC chief executive officer Beatrice Matanje said the commission and PMRA have since partnered with the police and other stakeholders to follow up on the matter and track down the culprits promoting the purported Aids cure.
The agencies also issued a joint statement that the fraudsters are tampering with labels of some known medicines which they advertise as cure for HIV and Aids.
The two institutions have further expressed concern over advertising such fake products on social media, noting that the practice is exposing more people to the fake medication and putting their lives at risk.
Reads the statement in part: “These fake products are sold to unsuspecting people living with HIV at exorbitant prices, ranging from K90 000 to K260 000 per purported dose.
“Such deceitful adverts, if shared and believed, have the potential to foster an environment that endangers lives of many people living with HIV.”
Matanje expressed worry that the medicines being administered are not properly stored, thereby raising the risk of the drugs becoming poisonous to the consumers’ bodies.
She said: “Those injecting patients with the fake cure are not professionals; hence, they put lives of people living with HIV and Aids at risk.
“Clients are being administered wrong medication that does not match their condition, potentially leading to serious health issues, including death.”
Matanje further said some people on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) were being tempted to stop taking it and instead take the promoted drug Gamora as a permanent cure.
She said abandoning ART could lead to the development of resistant strains of HIV which are difficult and expensive to treat.
“Infections caused by resistant HIV viruses not only pose a significant threat to individual health but also carry a high risk of transmission to others. If left unchecked, these resistant strains can spread rapidly, leading to a broader public health crisis,” said Matanje.
Taking his turn, PMRA director general Mphatso Kawaye said some convicts that were recently fined K2.5 million deserved K10 million fine and 10 years in jail.
He said falsifying medicine is an offence that attracts a fine of K10 million plus 10 years imprisonment.
Association for Young People Living with HIV and Aids national coordinator Ellina Mwasinga said the country has made strides in the fight against HIV and Aids and it cannot afford to have such efforts affected by false information.
She said the youth, who also form part of the vulnerable populations in terms of HIV, are the highest consumers of social media information and can easily be misled.
“This false information about cure affects their adherence already,” said Mwasinga, urging people living with HIV and Aids to consult reliable authorities for support.
On March 13 2024, the Mangochi Magistrate’s Court convicted two women and fined them K2.5 million each for selling falsified gentamicin injection. The two had advertised the medicine on TikTok as Gamora HIV vaccine.
In a related development, on June 13 2024 the Mwanza Magistrate’s Court sentenced a 32-year-old man to 15 months imprisonment for advertising medicinal unknown tablets as Gamora HIV cure
