MoPH Inspects Pharmaceutical Companies in Kabul, Seizes and Destroys Expired Medicines

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health Food and Drugs Control Directorate inspected pharmaceutical import companies, wholesalers and warehouses across Kabul, checking 110 import firms and 33 wholesale outlets using standard checklists.

The inspections found 16 import companies absent from their registered addresses, and the cases were formally reported to the relevant registration, licensing and drug import-export authorities.

Nine import companies, one unregistered warehouse and 30 wholesale outlets were temporarily closed for lacking valid documentation.

Samples of nine suspected medicines were sent to the Quality Control Laboratory, one unlicensed product was seized, and four previously closed wholesale outlets were re-inspected.

A total of 55 official letters were sent to public health directorates in Kandahar, Nangarhar, Khost and Herat, as well as Kabul customs and the airport, regarding the safe disposal of pharmaceutical products.

Authorities quarantined 725 cartons and 13 sacks of expired pharmaceutical products.

More than 2,500 kilograms of substandard and expired medicines and health products were destroyed at designated sites.