By Amos Harris
The Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) has announced sweeping reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s pharmaceutical regulatory system, enhancing drug quality, and restoring public confidence in health products on the Liberian market.
Appearing at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) regular press briefing on Thursday, November 27, 2025, LMHRA Managing Director Dr. Luke L. Bawo outlined the authority’s achievements over the past year and unveiled new initiatives intended to modernize the agency and ensure safer health products for the public.
Dr. Bawo reminded Liberians that LMHRA’s foremost mandate is to protect the population from the dangers of substandard and falsified medicines. While acknowledging gains in diagnostic services, supply chain management, and health workforce training, he stressed that the quality of health products remains a major national challenge.
“People seek treatment and follow medical protocols but do not recover,” an LMHRA official noted, citing cases of medicines with incorrect strength and products containing undisclosed active ingredients. One example referenced was the controversial product Koko Forte, which was found to contain amphetamine.
“A health system is only as strong as the quality of the health products in circulation,” the official added, underscoring the urgency of the reforms.
Among the agency’s most notable achievements is a nationwide cleanup of expired and unsafe medical products. In partnership with the World Bank and Chemonics, LMHRA successfully removed and safely disposed of 641.88 tons of expired health products from facilities across 10 counties.
The cleanup included major institutions such as JFK Medical Center, Redemption Hospital, and the Central Medicine Store. The volume of waste collected is equivalent to 65 truckloads, with operations expected to extend to the remaining southeastern counties in the coming months.
LMHRA also disclosed significant progress toward achieving global regulatory standards:
- WHO Maturity Level 3: Its newly established Quality Control Unit is working toward attaining WHO Maturity Level 3, which would certify Liberia as having a functional and internationally credible regulatory authority.
- ISO 17025 Certification: The agency is simultaneously pushing for ISO 17025 certification for its national laboratory, an accreditation that would validate the lab’s competence in pharmaceutical testing and strengthen Liberia’s position in ensuring drug quality.
To upgrade national pharmaceutical testing capacity, Dr. Bawo announced that LMHRA has entered a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with Quality Management Solutions (QMS) to modernize the Quality Control Laboratory in Carey. This collaboration is considered a major milestone that will enhance regulatory oversight and ensure more accurate drug analysis.
In a move to strengthen transparency and combat counterfeit medicines, LMHRA is exploring the introduction of an electronic traceability system for all pharmaceutical products entering Liberia. The digital platform would enable regulators to track medicines from production to patient use, dramatically reducing the risk of fake or substandard drugs in circulation.
The LMHRA further disclosed plans to inaugurate a new state-of-the-art health care waste disposal facility located on a five-acre site in Koko Town, Lower Margibi County.
- Commissioning: Funded by the Global Fund through Plan-Liberia, the facility—featuring a high-capacity self-loading incinerator and warehouse—is expected to be commissioned by December 31.
- Function: Once operational, the facility will safely handle the disposal of expired drugs, illicit pharmaceuticals, pathological waste, and other hazardous materials.
The Ministry of Health has agreed to electrify the site, while the Ministry of Public Works has begun grading the six-mile access road leading to the facility.
LMHRA currently operates mainly in Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Margibi, and Nimba Counties, but Dr. Bawo emphasized that expansion is essential to fully enforce pharmaceutical regulations nationwide. Plans are underway to decentralize services and extend regulatory oversight to all counties.
As the LMHRA accelerates these vital reforms, officials stress that safeguarding the health of Liberians depends on a unified effort to eliminate substandard medicines and strengthen regulatory enforcement across the country.
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