MONROVIA, March 31 (LINA) - The Managing Director of the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA), David Sumo, has said the entity will increase surveillance to track the sale and movement of fake drugs, especially in rural Liberia.

 
Sumo made the call against the backdrop that some illegal drug peddlers are now shifting the counterfeit drug trade to other counties, rather than in Montserrado County where the LMHRA has launched a massive clampdown against illegal medical products.
 
Speaking Tuesday at the Ministry of Information daily Ebola press conference in Monrovia, Sumo indicated that the LMHRA remains committed to making Liberia free of illegal drugs.
 
He urged county superintendents, health authorities and the security apparatus to join the fight against the sale and smuggling of illegal and fake drug substances which, according to him, lead to health complications and sometimes death when consumed.
 
Sumo pointed out that it will require inter-agency as well as security collaboration to enhance the fight against such illegal practice, adding: “The LMHRA alone cannot perform this task.”
 
Meanwhile, Sumo has disclosed that there is an increase in the number of illegal drug stores in the country.
 
He said the LMHRA will not hesitate to confiscate goods and recommend for prosecution anyone caught selling drugs or other medical products to the public without obtaining a medical business registration.
LINA