Uganda's National Drug Authority has taken delivery of five Minilabs from the World Health Organization to help in detecting fake drugs.

The GPHF-Minilab was specifically developed by the GPHF, a charitable institution supported by German drugmaker Merck KGaA, to help in the detection of counterfeit and substandard medicines.

This problem is particularly endemic in developing countries, where fake products are thought to have led to many deaths.

More than 300 Minilabs have been deployed to date, primarily in African (151) and Asian (85) countries.

The kit contains reagents for identifying 40 common active ingredients for the treatment of communicable diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS, as well as standard antimicrobials.

Apollo Edson Muhairwe, the NDA's executive secretary, told local Ugandan media that three studies have found a recent reduction in counterfeiting.

Random checks carried out by the Ugandan health authorities in early 2008 revealed that 35 per cent of antimalarial medicines being sold in the capital city of Kampala were counterfeit.

Dr. Jürgen Knackmuß, GPHF chairman, said: “many countries still lack the facilities to test the quality of drugs consistently in a reliable fashion.”

“Our field kits are using simple and robust test methods to provide practical solutions and immediate protection against counterfeit medicines consumption and safeguards drug supply in developing countries”.

To celebrate the deployment of the 300th Minilab in December, the GPHF donated two additional units for use in Haiti and Burundi.

Meanwhile, the Ugandan government has started labelling drugs intended for free distribution in public health units in an effort to prevent them being stolen and offered for sale in private clinics.

This diversion of medicines from public health facilities into the private sector has been causing shortages, it said.