By Jessica Cox
MONROVIA – The Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) has unveiled a five-year strategic plan aimed at strengthening the regulation of medicines and other health products amid growing concerns over the circulation of counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals across the country.
Launching the LMHRA Strategic Plan (2026–2030), Director General said Liberia has made notable progress in rebuilding its health sector since the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic. He cited improvements in healthcare infrastructure, the expansion of diagnostic services, increased training of health workers, and wider distribution of medicines to public health facilities.
However, Dr. Bawo said one major weakness continues to threaten those gains: the country’s limited capacity to guarantee the quality, safety and effectiveness of medicines available to the public.
“The weakest link in our health system today is our inability to assure the quality of medicines and health products in circulation,” he said.
The LMHRA was established by an Act of the National Legislature in 2010 with the mandate to regulate medicines and health products by ensuring that products imported, manufactured, distributed and sold in Liberia are safe, effective and of acceptable quality.
According to Dr. Bawo, medicines currently entering the Liberian market undergo mainly visual and physical inspections because the country has limited laboratory capacity to conduct comprehensive quality testing.
He warned that this regulatory gap has contributed to the circulation of counterfeit and substandard medicines, which he said are affecting treatment outcomes in health facilities.
As an example, Dr. Bawo disclosed that LMHRA inspectors recently confiscated counterfeit and substandard medicines valued at approximately L$400,000 during an enforcement operation in Bong County.
He further estimated that between 30 and 40 percent of medicines circulating in Liberia could be substandard or falsified. The Director General acknowledged that the figure is based on operational observations and reports received by the Authority rather than a nationwide scientific survey.
He has identified substandard and falsified medicines as a major global public health challenge, estimating that about one in every ten medical products in low- and middle-income countries fails to meet required quality standards.
WHO warns that such products contribute to treatment failure, prolonged illness, preventable deaths and antimicrobial resistance.
Dr. Bawo said LMHRA has also received reports of patients who seek treatment abroad after failing to recover despite receiving correct diagnoses in Liberia. He attributed some of those cases to concerns about the quality of medicines available on the local market.
Another issue highlighted during the launch was the growing number of pharmaceutical importers operating in Liberia.
According to Dr. Bawo, Liberia currently has 118 licensed pharmaceutical importers serving a population of approximately 5.5 million people.
He argued that the number is disproportionately high compared with several neighboring countries and has complicated regulatory oversight.
To address the challenge, LMHRA plans to introduce stricter licensing requirements, including higher financial qualification standards for companies seeking pharmaceutical import permits.
The Authority believes the measure will improve accountability throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain while reducing opportunities for counterfeit medicines to enter the market.
QR Code System to Track Medicines
Among the centrepieces of the Strategic Plan is the introduction of a national Track and Trace System.
Under the proposed system, registered medicines will carry QR codes that can be scanned by regulators, healthcare workers and consumers to verify whether products were legally imported and registered by LMHRA.
Dr. Bawo explained that medicines found without the Authority’s approved identification code could be confiscated, while licensed importers whose products are diverted into illegal distribution channels could be held accountable.
The system is intended to strengthen supply chain transparency and reduce the sale of counterfeit medicines in pharmacies, clinics and informal markets.
LMHRA also announced plans to decentralize its operations by establishing offices in five to seven counties before the end of 2026, with eventual expansion to all fifteen counties.
Rather than creating standalone offices, the Authority intends to work alongside County Health Teams under the Ministry of Health to improve regulatory oversight while reducing operational costs.
Routine inspections of pharmacies, clinics and medicine outlets are also expected to increase as the Authority expands its inspectorate services nationwide.
To strengthen quality assurance, LMHRA plans to commission Liberia’s first comprehensive medicines quality control laboratory capable of testing conventional medicines, herbal products, cosmetics and dietary supplements.
The Authority is also preparing to inaugurate a pharmaceutical waste disposal facility, which Dr. Bawo said is being developed in collaboration with the immigration, ministry of health and other government ministries and agencies.
The facility is intended to ensure that expired, counterfeit and confiscated medicines are destroyed safely instead of re-entering the market.
Dr. Bawo also cautioned businesses promoting herbal medicines and food supplements with medicinal claims that such products fall under LMHRA’s regulatory authority.
He said products advertised as having therapeutic benefits must undergo registration and quality assessment before being legally marketed in Liberia.
According to him, the Authority has already engaged several businesses advertising unregistered products through social media and other platforms, requesting them to submit samples for testing and registration.
The Strategic Plan outlines LMHRA’s vision of building a modern medicines regulatory system capable of protecting public health through stronger inspections, digital regulation, improved laboratory services and greater county-level presence.
While the reforms represent one of the Authority’s most ambitious regulatory agendas since its establishment, their success will depend on sustained government financing, effective enforcement at Liberia’s ports of entry, cooperation with law enforcement agencies and compliance by pharmaceutical importers and distributors.
As Liberia continues rebuilding its health system after successive public health emergencies, the effectiveness of medicine regulation will play a critical role in ensuring that patients receive treatments that are not only available but are also safe, effective and of assured quality.
