Falsified Augmentin found in Uganda, Kenya

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that fake versions of the antibiotic Augmentin have been discovered in Uganda and Kenya.

The genuine drug – sold by GlaxoSmithKline and based on amoxicillin trihydrate and potassium clavulanate – is a commonly-used treatment for bacterial infections that is listed by WHO on its essential medicines list. The WHO warned last year that counterfeits had been encountered in Cameroon.

WHO says it was informed by the Uganda National Drug Authority that falsified Augmentin had been discovered through routine post marketing surveillance on the quality of medical products in the market. Sample testing revealed none of the expected active ingredients.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board confirmed that the same batch of falsified Augmentin had previously been found at patient level in Kenya.

The fake product (pictured) is described as a “close imitation” of the genuine article. The packaging says that it was manufactured by SmithKline Beecham Ltd in August 2016 and has an expiry date of August 2019, with the batch number 786627. It has been found in 14-count packs purporting to contain 625mg tablets.