The National Drug Authority (NDA) has spoken out after one of its officials revealed to parliament’s Committee on HIV/AIDS that the authority whose core mandate is to ensure medicines and medical supplies in the country are safe and used to save lives, was aware but kept quiet on the abuse of ARVs by farmers to treat and fatten poultry and pigs.
According to Amos Atumanya, a senior Inspector of drugs at the authority, the matter was downplayed in order not to alarm the public or hurt the economy.
However, addressing journalists in Kampala today, NDA’s Public Relations Manager Abiaz Rwamwiri, has explained that the authority is largely mandated to regulate drugs and keep the public informed in the event of any public health concerns attributed to any medicine.
“NDA learnt of the recent studies relating to contamination of animal feeds and animal products like chicken and pork, from media publications. Since such reports concern the misuse of drugs, NDA conducted investigations and a scientific review and determined that the reported levels were very low to cause unnecessary public alarm,” Rwamwiri told journalists on Thursday.
“NDA further undertook several interventions including enforcement operations to curb the sources of the ARVs and other drugs being misused in animals. These ongoing operations have led to several arrests and prosecution of the culprits,” he added.
