A FORENSIC audit into suspected drug pilferage has revealed massive price inflation in medicines and medical supplies procured by the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) under its “mop-up” exercise, with some prices inflated by as much as 1600 per cent. The audit, conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), also implicates senior government officials in procedural irregularities, including alleged abuse of authority, rushed procurement, and bypassing regulatory protocols. The report cites Ibuprofen 200mg tablets from Sterelin Medical and Diagnostics as an example, purchased at K3,951.67, which was 1,613 per cent higher than ZAMMSA’s estimated price of K230.67 for the same medicine. Against the 2023 fourth-quarter Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) market index of K157, the markup amounts to 2,417 per cent....