Vendors now selling ARVs on the streets

Munyaradzi Blessing Doma

Zim Now Writer

Daring hawkers are selling antiretroviral drugs in some of Harare’s suburbs and in some instances, the medicines are being passed off as weight gain pills.

This worrying trend has led to some unsuspecting people, mostly women, falling victim to these unscrupulous hawkers.

And this has led to the high risk of Antimicrobial Resistance, through the misuse of these antivirals and other medicines.

According to an Antimicrobial Resistance document from the Australian Government, it is reported that, “Antimicrobial resistance occurs when germs (bacteria, virus, or fungus) that cause infections, resist the effects of the medicines used to treat them.

“These resistant bacteria can spread and may infect people or animals.

“They are harder to treat than non-resistant bacteria.”

And also, according to the World Health Organisation, “AMR is one of the top global public health and development threats.

“It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.

“The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.

“AMR affects countries in all regions and at all income levels.

“Its drivers and consequences are exacerbated by poverty and inequality, and low- and middle-income countries are most affected.”

One hawker (whose name could not be established at the time of publishing), from Harare’s Budiriro suburb has been making a killing from selling ARVs.

The hawker claimed that he gets his supplies from a relative who works in the medical field.

The man who had the stash in his satchel, approached some women saying he had all the pills they needed, from enhancements to medicinal.

“He came to us and said he had all pills, from paracetamol, ibuprofen, to High Blood Pressure pills like hydrochlorothiazide.

“Because I have high blood pressure, I was equally interested to see what he had and he went on to unzip his satchel and took out a bottle.

“I said I wanted to check the milligrams and right from the onset, I could see that these tablets which I was being shown were not HCT.

“And I told him that the pills were too big to be what I was asking for.

“At first he thought I was wrong, saying that he had just shown me the right BP tablets but I had to let know that I knew what I was saying,” said one woman who preferred anonymity.

The woman added that what shocked her the most was that the seals on the bottles was broken.

She further added that she got worried to see that this man was selling medication which he didn’t have much knowledge of.

“What got me worried mostly was that he didn’t even know the tablets he was selling.

“Imagine after saying they were HBP tablets, he started saying they are for weight gain, so how many people could have bought them on such pretext,” added the woman.

The woman further revealed that she also called her mother and sister and they too realized the anomaly.

“My mum and my sister then realized that what he was selling as HCT tablets were actually ARVs, Dolutegravir to be precise.

“My mother then warned him against the unauthorised selling of medicines, saying it was not only dangerous to people’s health, but would also get him arrested.

“He then revealed that he gets the medicines from his brother who works for a government institution.

“What really got me worried was the likely effect if he is selling ARVs to people who are HIV negative, what is the sought of damage if there’s any,” she added.

Efforts to track down the man to get to the bottom of the story proved fruitless as he went into ‘hiding’ perhaps out of fear of being arrested after the rebuke from the women.

But this particular hawker is not alone, as some other people interviewed by this reporter revealed that this has become a trend.

A vendor from Glen Norah revealed that she had been approached by some people who sell ARVs in bulk, but she refused to buy, because she knew the consequences.

“Most of these medicines are now being sold by either vendors or hawkers. Some people actually come here saying they are selling the medicines in bulk but I have always refused.

“They say they have the whole range but each time they approach me, I refuse because I know the consequences.

“It’s not healthy to just buy medicines on the streets and also I can’t risk going to jail for that,” revealed the vendor.

Nyaradzayi Kakodzi, a Community Health Worker from Chitungwiza, said it is now a common feature to see people illegally selling medicines.

“I have seen some people selling medicines but mostly I have seen people selling high blood pressure pills, pain killers and even antibiotics.

“I’m not sure if ARVs are also part of those,” said Kakodzi.

“But we always urge members of the community to buy medication from registered traders, like pharmacies because even looking at the storage under which these pills are kept, it is not ideal,” she added.

Dr Ernest Chikwati, Country Program Manager at AHF Zimbabwe said, “I’m not sure why someone would take Dolutegravir when they are not HIV positive.

“What they will get from it will be side effects of the drugs.

“Unless if the person is taking the medicine to prevent HIV infection but again there are other recommended medicines for that; Truvada, that is recommended for HIV prevention for those at risk of HIV transmission.

“As a rule, Antiretroviral Medicines combinations have a minimum of three medicines. This is because of the high risk of developing resistance to a single drug. If someone takes a single medicine like Dolutegravir when they are HIV negative, then when they happen to get infected, then they will develop resistance to the medicine.

“The same goes for someone taking medicines not recommended by the doctor, either they get the wrong combination, wrong dose per weight.

“They could get medicines meant for patients on second line. If they do, then develop resistance to stronger medicines that will reduce their options and might end up with no medicines that can help them,” added Dr Chikwati.

Dr Nyaradzo Mugodi, said taking medication not prescribed by the doctor, will see, “the biggest problem is development of resistance.”

While the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Republic Police on occasions conduct raids on the illegal sellers of medicines, more needs to be done.

Each day medicines are being sold from one neighbourhood to the other and from one street corner to the other, further raising the risk of AMR.

“The MCAZ remain committed to ensuring the safety and integrity of pharmaceutical products available to the public.

“Such collaborative actions underscore our dedicated efforts to curb drug and substance abuse across the nation while upholding regulatory standards and safeguarding public health.

“We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious pharmaceutical activities to the authorities.

“Together, we can combat the distribution of unregistered and expired medicines, promoting a safer environment for all Zimbabweans,” said MCAZ Director General, Richard Rukwata, following a recent raid on unregistered medicine dealers in Karoi.

While all these efforts are applauded, there is no doubt more still needs to be one, as AMR continues to be a menace.