MONROVIA, July 10, 2026 – The Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) has seized counterfeit and substandard medicines valued at approximately L$400,000 in Bong County. The agency said fake medicines continue to pose a significant threat to public health in Liberia.
LMHRA Managing Director Dr. L. Luke Bawo announced the seizure during the Ministry of Information’s regular press conference in Monrovia.
Bawo said the incident highlights the continued circulation of counterfeit medicines, despite improvements in Liberia’s healthcare system.
He said the government has made progress in the past decade by expanding healthcare services, building and equipping health facilities, training medical staff, strengthening disease surveillance, and improving diagnostic capacity after the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks.
He noted that the Boakai administration has improved distribution of donor-supported medical supplies nationwide, but ensuring the quality, safety, and effectiveness of medicines remains a major challenge.
“The weakest link determines the strength of the entire chain,” Bawo said, adding that gains in healthcare could be undermined if poor-quality medicines reach patients.
Liberia’s current medicine testing system relies mainly on visual and physical inspections, which makes the country vulnerable to the importation and distribution of substandard and falsified medicines, according to Bawo.
Bawo said the circulation of fake medicines has led to treatment failures, even when patients receive correct diagnoses and prescriptions. He said antimicrobial resistance is also increasing, partly due to ineffective medicines.
Liberia currently has 118 licensed pharmaceutical importers for a population of about 5.5 million, a number Bawo described as unusually high.
He said Liberia has more pharmaceutical importers than Ghana, with a population of about 36 million, and more than Guinea, which has over 17 million people and limits importers to just ten.
Bawo described the situation as a regulatory challenge inherited by the current administration and called for stronger oversight of the pharmaceutical sector.
To address the issue, LMHRA launched a five-year strategic plan on June 25, 2026, aimed at strengthening medicines regulation and protecting public health, Bawo said.
The plan aims to ensure that by 2030, 95 percent of medicines and health products in Liberia are tested and verified for quality.
As part of the reforms, Liberia will open its first comprehensive health products testing laboratory in the next three to four months. The facility will test medicines, herbal products, cosmetics, and dietary supplements and is expected to be inaugurated by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
LMHRA also plans to introduce a nationwide electronic Track-and-Trace System to allow regulators and consumers to verify medicines by scanning QR codes for information about a product’s manufacturer, importer, dosage, production date, and expiration date.
LMHRA intends to expand post-market surveillance to all 15 counties within four months and digitize its regulatory services, so businesses can apply online for permits, product registrations, and testing services.
The authority is also preparing to open Liberia’s first modern pharmaceutical waste disposal facility in Lower Margibi County to improve the safe disposal of expired and substandard medicines, Bawo said.
He said the reforms are intended to restore public confidence in Liberia’s healthcare system by ensuring that medicines on the market meet international quality standards.
“The health system is only as good as the medicines and health products in circulation,” Bawo said.
