Counterfeit Medicines Awash Market ...LMHRA Craves US$6.5m For Regulatory Enforcement

MONROVIA: The Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) has estimated that about 40 percent of products in circulation are of questionable quality.

Speaking recently at the Budget Hearing conducted by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), LMHRA Managing Director, Dr. Luke L. Bawo stressed that increased investment is essential to protect Liberians from substandard, falsified, expired and unregistered medicines and health products.

However, Dr. Bawo clarified that the figure is a regulatory estimate and should not be interpreted as an independently verified finding and that the percentage mentioned does not imply that all medicines in Liberia are counterfeits.

At the budget hearing, the LMHRA appealed to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) for US$6.5 million in the 2026/2027 national budget.

The funds will be used to strengthen medicine testing, enforcement and regulatory operations across Liberia.

The money will also be used by the LMHRA to expand regulatory operations to the 15 counties, strengthen its Quality Control Laboratory, pursue ISO-17025 accreditation, increase product testing and complete its digital regulatory information system.

Also, the Authority plans to commission a modern pharmaceutical waste-disposal facility, including a warehouse, bottle crusher and high-capacity incinerator, to support the safe disposal of expired, confiscated and illicit products.

“Testing is the key weapon of any regulatory entity,” Dr. Bawo told the budget committee.

He maintains that LMHRA’s strategic plan targets an increase in product testing from its current baseline to 95 percent by 2029.

MD Bawo further indicated that stronger regulatory capacity would not only improve public health protection but also increase LMHRA’s contribution to domestic revenue.

Meanwhile, the MFDP Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan commended LMHRA’s recent enforcement activities, including the closure of unlicensed pharmacies and seizure of expired and substandard products.

The Budget Committee described the Authority’s presentation as strong, data-driven and convincing, while noting the competing demands on the government’s limited fiscal resources.

LMHRA said stronger government support would enable it to build a more effective, decentralized and internationally credible medicines regulatory system, consistent with the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development.

The Authority remains committed to ensuring the safety, quality, efficacy and proper regulation of medicines and health products circulating in Liberia. LMHRA Risk Communication & Public Relations Unit.