The World Health Organisation has issued a warning to Kenyans that the bottle or pack of Augmentin stored in your kitchen cabinet could be fake.

Augmentin (usually a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid) is a common antibiotic used to treat a number of bacterial infections and is listed on the WHO Essential Medicines List as an access group antibiotic.

The WHO has warned that anyone who has a bottle or container of the drug with the batch number 786627 and manufactured by SmithKline Beecham Limited, should not use it.

“If you have taken this falsified medical product, or if you suffer an adverse event or an unexpected lack of efficacy, please seek immediate advice from a qualified healthcare professional, and ensure they report the incident to your Ministry of Health.” said the WHO warning.

The same version of the antibiotic sold in Uganda was also found to have been falsified.

The WHO says the fake drugs were discovered through routine post-marketing surveillance, which tested the quality of medical products in the market.

It then informed the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB), as well as the Uganda National Drug Authority, about its findings.

“It should be noted that this is the second WHO medical product alert issued on falsified Augmentin in the African region.” the agency said. It said that tests in the quality assurance laboratory revealed that the drug did not have any of the stated active ingredients.

There were also some inconsistencies in labeling and packaging of the drugs. But SmithKline Beecham has denied manufacturing the falsified version. And no adverse reactions have been reported to WHO.

Source:World Health Organization