KENEMA – The Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone on Saturday, 8th November 2025 conducted a large-scale destruction of substandard, falsified, unregistered, expired and deteriorated pharmaceutical products valued at NLe172, 911.33 at the City Dump Site in Telorma Community on the outskirts of Kenema.The operation, which included the incineration of tramadol and other illicit medicines, was supervised by senior officials from the Board’s Distribution Chain Inspection Department, security personnel, CSOs, and media representatives to ensure full transparency.
Allieu Katta, Officer-in-Charge for the Eastern Region, supported by the ad hoc taskforce members jointly prepared the valuation report, which was submitted to the Registrar of the Pharmacy Board through the Head of the DCI Department for official record.
The public exercise drew notable stakeholders, including Thomas Ade Williams, Chairman of the Pharmacy Board’s Eastern Region Ad hoc taskforce; Mohamed Hutangua, Vice Chairman of the Ad hoc taskforce, Augustine Sannoh, Civil Society Chairman for the Eastern Region; and Tamba Buffa, Head of the DCI Department.
Speaking at the event, Chairman Williams underscored the Board’s commitment to cleaning up the pharmaceutical sector.
“We are determined to weed out the bad eggs from the medicine business,” he said. “Substandard and falsified drugs are a silent killer, and our duty as a regulatory authority is to safeguard public health.”
Augustine Sannoh praised the initiative as a turning point for drug regulation in Sierra Leone. He called for sustained collaboration between the Pharmacy Board, police, and civil society organisations to combat the trafficking of illegal medicines.
“This is the beginning of a long-overdue revolution in Sierra Leone’s drug regulation system,” Sannoh stated.
Tamba Buffa, Head of Distribution Chain Inspection Department announced that similar operations would be rolled out nationwide to enforce pharmaceutical laws and protect consumers from harmful products.
The Pharmacy Board reaffirmed its commitment to ensure that only safe, approved, and high-quality medicines reach the Sierra Leonean market.
Sourced: Information and Communication Department, PBSL
