TWO PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES PETITION COURT AGAINST NDA’s BAN

By; Our Reporter

Two pharmaceutical companies and a clinic have petitioned the civil division of the High Court asking it to quash the decision by National Drug Authority (NDA) stopping them from supplying and vaccinating particular types of Hepatitis B vaccine.

The suit stems from an order NDA issued last week stopping all vaccination in private clinics on grounds that together with the Ministry of Health, they had discovered that the vaccines are fake.

In their suit, Safe Script Pharmaceuticals, Eloipharm (U) limited and Nabu-lawala Agnes Gudoi/ Alpha clinical laboratory challenge the directive by NDA that all entities in possession of the 10ml multi-dose Hepatitis B vaccine, manufactured by Serum Institute of India should halt vaccination.

The managing director Safe Script pharmaceuticals Agnes Nabu-lawala Gudoi says in her affidavit says last year, Safe Script appointed Eloipharm as its consultant to import vaccines on its behalf on request by the Ministry of Health initiative and campaign to immunize Ugandans against Hepatitis B infection.

Nabu-lawala says Safe Script supplied the vaccines to Agnes Gudoi / Alpha clinical laboratory which has been carrying out the immunization process in the country including Uganda institute of Allied Health and Management Sciences who are waiting for their third dose in May this year and If stopped, it will not only cause a health risk but a loss to them.