Millions in low- and middle-income countries could miss out on lifesaving drugs NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | Antibiotic production from big pharmaceutical companies has slowed significantly in the last five years, leaving children in low- and middle-income countries particularly exposed to hard-to-treat infections, according to new analysis. The …
Read More »NDA closes 105 ‘pharmacies’, seizes medicines worth sh65m in Teso
Soroti, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Drug Authority (NDA) has closed more than 105 illegal drug outlets and impounded 260 boxes of assorted classified medicines worth approximately UGX 65 million during a week-long enforcement operation across the Teso sub-region. Speaking during a press briefing at NDA offices in …
Read More »Farming pressures fuel Africa’s drug resistance crisis
In Uganda, an estimated 5,620 deaths were attributable to antimicrobial resistance in 2021, with the greatest number among children aged under five years SPECIAL FEATURE | JOHN MUSENZE – SciDev.Net | In the Mbarara district of Western Uganda, poultry farmer Susan Ddamulira has managed a farm of 2,000 birds …
Read More »Uganda’s Silent Epidemic: the Growing Drug Resistance
In the first of a two-part series, experts warn that without urgent action, drug-resistant infections could cause millions of deaths per year NEWS FEATURE | IAN KATUSIIME | A narrow path glides through the slum of Katanga giving visitors a fleeting rhythm of the decades-long settlement that lies between …
Read More »NMS warns of looming vaccine shortage
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Medical Stores (NMS) has warned of a looming shortage of vaccines for children following the imposition of a 2.5 per cent Value Added Tax on medical supplies which took effect on 01 July 2025. This revelation was made by the General Manager of …
Read More »Australian authorities say paracetamol safe for pregnancy despite links to autism made by U.S.
CANBERRA | Xinhua | Australian authorities said on Tuesday that the pain medication paracetamol is safe for pregnant women in response to claims from the U.S. administration that it is linked to the development of autism, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia’s regulatory authority for …
Read More »Draft National Drugs Bill presented to health committee
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, has presented the National Drug and Health Products Authority Bill, 2025 to the Parliamentary Committee on Health, setting the stage for major reforms in the regulation of medicines and health products in Uganda. The Bill seeks …
Read More »Pharmacists and store managers are central to drug accountability
COMMENT | SAM OTUKEI | In the fight against medicine stockouts and theft in Uganda’s public health facilities, much attention is rightly given to the supply side—how and when National Medical Stores (NMS) delivers drugs. But once those deliveries reach a health facility, the responsibility shifts. At that point, …
Read More »MP Edakasi urges colleagues to use drug stock alerts to curb pilferage
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Alfred Edakasi, Member of Parliament for Kaberamaido County, has called on fellow legislators to make better use of government-issued drug stock alerts to help curb the persistent theft of medicines from public health facilities. Edakasi acknowledged that the government has invested heavily in monitoring systems, …
Read More »Ayume calls for community-led sensitization to combat drug theft
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Dr. Charles Ayume, Chairperson of the Health Committee of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Koboko Municipality, has called for a shift in Uganda’s fight against drug pilferage—urging that the battle be led from the grassroots, not just by top government officials. While acknowledging …
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