Preliminary survey of counterfeiting of albendazole and metronidazole marketed in Lubumbashi

Objective: Counterfeit medicines represent a major health risk in the treatment of various pathologies. They are responsible for resistance emergence in the treatment of infectious diseases. This study was conducted in order to identify illegal and legal drugs marketed in the city of Lubumbashi and assess the quality of all samples concerned by this study.
Methods: The study included albendazole and metronidazole for oral administration. Visual inspection of medicines, investigation of the authenticity of drugs from pharmaceutical regulatory authorities, and determination of content were used as study parameters. Results: A total of 34 samples were collected including 19 of albendazole and 15 of metronidazole. 11 (32%) samples were not permitted to be marketed. 9 (26 %) samples were substandard according to the US Pharmacopoeia in terms of the content of active ingredient: all of them, the active ingredient was found to present in a lower amount (under-dosing). The proportion of non-compliance is highest among medicines not permitted to be marketed (78% vs 8.0%; p˂0.005).
Conclusion: It is obvious that strengthening the capacity of drug regulatory authority of the DR Congo can reduce the influx of counterfeit /substandard drugs in Lubumbashi.