HONEYBEE Pharmacy says the Auditor General’s findings that it supplied drugs from unregistered manufacturers are not true.

Last week, the Auditor General revealed that Honeybee Pharmacy supplied drugs from unregistered manufacturers such as paracetamol tablets that had mould like growth on the surfaces and did not meet acceptance criteria for the appearance test.

But in a brief interview, Honeybee pharmacy director Zackir Motala said the Report was biased and it would soon release a comprehensive statement to counter it.

“We do not agree with the Report. In due course, we will give a comprehensive statement. I will inform you immediately we are ready with that. I do not agree with the whole thing because it is a very biased report. You will properly understand my position once I explain to you item by item and say ‘this issue it is because they are looking at it from this perspective or this angle and that is why they have concluded like this.’ I have scrutinized everything and we don’t agree with the whole Report,” said Motala.

According to the Report of the Auditor General on the accounts of the republic for the financial year ended 31st December 2019, 58 out of the 60 items that constituted the health centre kits worth US$3,400,151.04, (about K70 million) were sourced from non-contract stated manufacturers.

“It was observed that the supplier sourced various medicines and medical supplies from unapproved manufacturers. In this regard, fifty-eight (58) out of the sixty (60) items with an invoice value of US$3,400,151.04 that constituted the health centre kits supplied were sourced from non-contract stated manufacturers. The contract required that the goods supplied under the contract shall be registered for use in the procuring entity’s country. It was observed that the medicines and allied substances contained in the 4,752 health centre kits with an invoice value of US$3,792,761.28 delivered in August and September 2020 were not registered with the Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority. The Special Conditions of the Contract Clause (Delivery and Documents) requires among others that the original certificate of quality control test results in conformity with the World Health Organisation “Certification Scheme on the Quality of Pharmaceutical Products Moving in International Trade” be availed to the procuring entity. A review of the letter of Goods Acceptance Certificate by Medical Stores Limited revealed that the Health Centre Kits were not accompanied by the Certificate of Analysis from the Manufacturer / Supplier,” the report stated.

The report further revealed that tests by ZAMRA on paracetamol tablets supplied by Honey Bee and valued at US$179,074.37 revealed that the tablets had mould like growth on the surfaces and that the sample did not meet acceptance criteria for the appearance test.

“In this regard, tests were carried out by ZAMRA and Zambia Bureau of Standards to assess the quality of the medicines and medical supplies and the results were as follows: Tests on Paracetamol Tablets ZAMRA undertook tests on the paracetamol tablets (BP100mg and BP500mg) contained in the health centre kits that had been supplied and had an invoice value of US$179,074.37. A review of the Certificate of Analysis dated 10th September 2020 on paracetamol tablets BP500mg revealed that the tablets had mould like growth on the surfaces and that the sample did not meet acceptance criteria for appearance test. In addition, a review of Certificate of Analysis dated 16th September 2020 on paracetamol BP100mg revealed that the sample did not meet the acceptable criteria for Assay and Friability Tests,” read the Report.