Zambia's pharmaceutical watchdog will soon start spot checks in private health centers to ensure that the Anti-Retroviral viracept has been taken off the Zambian market, Daily Mail reported on Sunday.

Pelekelo Mwangisha, pharmaceutical evaluator of the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Authority (PRA), was quoted as saying that efforts must be made to ensure that the drug was taken out of circulation.

The drug has been withdrawn worldwide because it is said that it contains some substance that causes cancer.

The decision was made by health authorities and Roche Limited, the multinational company which is the licensed holder of viracept.

Mwangisha said Zambia has only one registered importer of viracept and that the quantity of the drug was not much.

He said that viracept became available in Zambia in 2004 and was prescribed to 100 patients.

Mwangisha said reconciliation has already been done and that the people taking the drug can not abruptly stop taking the medicine.

He said so far they have not determined the extent of the contamination or the batch which was contaminated.

Asked if those on the drug would not experience complications, Mwangisha said healthcare providers should recommend or put in place a treatment plan for each patient.

Source: Xinhua