Africa-Press – Namibia. Fabupharm has dismissed claims circulating on social media suggesting that its paracetamol syrup may be unsafe or of poor quality.
This follows allegations by Affirmative Repositioning leader and member of parliament Job Amupanda, who alleges that the syrup used to treat fever and pain in children is defective.
Fabupharm is a 100% Namibian-owned producer and the only fully-fledged pharmaceutical manufacturing entity in Namibia.
The company’s managing director, Francois Slabbert, in a statement yesterday said the product meets all regulatory standards and remains safe for public use.
“We would like to categorically state that Fabupharm has not received any formal communication or notification from the Namibia Medicines Regulatory Council (NMRC) indicating that Fabupharm Paracetamol Syrup is defective, unsafe, or not compliant with regulatory standards,” he said.
Slabbert said the Fabupharm syrup is produced under strict international good manufacturing practice standards, as set by the World Health Organisation and local regulations.
According to him, the company runs a validated quality management system that tests raw materials, production processes, and finished products.
“All our products are routinely and independently tested by the Government Quality Surveillance Laboratory under the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
This external oversight provides an additional layer of assurance that our medicines meet the highest standards of safety, efficacy and consistency.
To date, there have been no product recalls, regulatory warnings, or confirmed quality failures relating to our paracetamol syrup,” he said.
Slabbert urged the public to stop spreading false information, saying this causes unnecessary concern among families who depend on the medicine.
The company said it has in the past invited stakeholders including politicians to visit its Otjiwarongo facilities and former finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi has even paid them a visit.
Amupanda claims the medicine council inspected the facility and discovered that the syrup does not meet standards and has been classified as having critical defects in terms of their report.
“I have discovered, I have concrete information and evidence of the effect of the Fabupharm paracetamol syrup, meant to ease pain and fever for children”.
Amupanda describes it as a life-threatening syrup, which has been allowed to be distributed for two years.
“Of course, the children of the poor who are treated at public hospitals are affected and they can’t afford private facilities where they can get proper medication… Some people are speculating that they might be in the pockets of Fabupharm,” he says.
Amupanda questions why the council had this information for two years but nothing was done about it.
Attempts to contact NMRC proved futile at the time of publication.
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