Africa-Press – Namibia. Pharmaceutical giant Fabupharm has been manufacturing medicines without a valid licence for over a year, it has emerged.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Namibia Medicines Regulatory Council (NMRC) Registrar of Medicines, Fransina Nambahu, dropped the bombshell in which she simultaneously stopped Fabupharm’s productions.
“Fabupharm Namibia (Pty) Ltd, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, has been in breach of Regulation 35 of the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act 13 of 2003. Fabupharm Namibia (Pty) Ltd has been manufacturing medicines without a valid licence since January 2024,” said Nambahu. She then dropped the bomb.
“To this effect, Fabupharm has to immediately stop production and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and all products that require manufacturing licence(s),” said Nambahu. The instruction remains valid until Fabupharm puts their house in order, she added.
“We remain committed to ensuring the health and safety of the Namibian nation,” she said, mincing no words. Parliamentarian and Affirmative Repositioning movement leader Job Amupanda has been at the centre of exposing alleged dodgy dealings at the medicines council.
Reacting to the latest developments, Amupanda said: “They are confirming that Fabupharm has been operating without a licence for more than a year, since January 2024. The night meeting also effectively ordered Fabupharm to close down.”
Minister
Meanwhile, addressing Parliament this week, health minister Esperance Luvindao called for enhanced border control measures and the nationwide deployment of additional medicine inspectors to curb the illegal importation of pharmaceuticals and ensure strict compliance with health regulations. Delivering her ministerial statement, Luvindao revealed that Corances, trading as West Pharmaceuticals, had illegally imported Quinine Sulphate 300 mg tablets into Namibia. According to the health ministry, the medication manufactured by Africure Pharmaceuticals in India entered the country through the Ngoma border post on 16 May 2025, a port not authorised to handle pharmaceutical imports.
The NMRC found this shipment breached several provisions of the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act, including the importation of an unregistered medicine, use of an unauthorised port of entry and non-compliance with approved importer procedures. “No exemption or special permission was granted for this import. This represents a serious violation of our national medicine control laws,” Luvindao stressed.
To prevent future incidents, she stressed the need to reinforce border monitoring systems and increase the number of medicine inspectors across the country.
“Although informal communications between enforcement officers have occasionally led to exceptions in the past, there were no such discussions or approvals in this case,” she noted. The minister added that the importer could face legal consequences under the act and may be blacklisted in terms of the Public Procurement Act. “Corrective measures are currently underway, and the NMRC’s legal and advertising committee is handling the matter in accordance with the law. We are committed to transparency and to preventing similar breaches going forward,” she said.
In a separate development, the minister also confirmed the recall of a paracetamol syrup manufactured by Fabupharm.
Regulatory inspections had uncovered deficiencies in the company’s quality management and assurance systems.
“Although the syrup is a registered product in Namibia, its continued production posed a potential public health risk,” she explained.
“To minimise any risk of substandard oral medicines reaching the public, the NMRC ordered a halt in production until all identified issues are resolved,” she said.
She added: “This action was based on a comprehensive risk assessment and was not prompted by any public complaints.”
Despite the recall, Luvindao assured the public the Therapeutics Information and Pharmacovigilance Centre (TIPC) has not recorded any serious adverse reactions linked to the paracetamol syrup. “Since 2012, TIPC has received 72 reports related to paracetamol, of which only two involved the oral liquid form. None of these cited specific brands,” she confirmed. “Medicine safety remains a top priority. We are working closely with Fabupharm to ensure full compliance with good manufacturing practices before production resumes,” the minister assured.
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