GlaxoSmithKline urges Kenya to block fake medicines

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2008

NAIROBI (AFP) — British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline on Monday urged the Kenyan government to crack down on imports of fake medicines, which account for a third of the country's drugs trade.

GSK's east Africa chief John Musunga said although his firm had no problem with parallel trade -- importation of cheaper products with the intent of charging less than the competitors in the retail market -- the authorities should tight crackdowns.

"There is no contention there, but unfortunately most of those mechanisms lead to the importation of more counterfeits than genuine ones," Musunga told reporters.

He explained that such trade arrangements compromise conditions under which specialised drugs are meant to be transported, leading to the sale of...