The Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority says it has intercepted and destroyed a consignment of ten thousand (10,000) doses of a suspected COVID 19 vaccine imported into the country without authorization.
On 2nd July 2021, the vaccine labelled as Hayat Vax [SARS-COV-2 Vaccine] (Vero Cell) inactivated, with batch number HV0025, was brought into the country by an importer named Chrismar Earthmoving Equipment, a company owned by Valden Findlay, a close associate of former President Edgar Lungu.
The consignment which was worth US$ 150, 000 was seized at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport by ZAMRA in conjunction with the Zambia Revenue Authority.
The named vaccine is unauthorized for use on the Zambian market as it is not registered by ZAMRA.
In addition, the vaccine is not under the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL).
The WHO EUL procedure is one of the regulatory reliance mechanisms which ZAMRA utilizes, like other national regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions, to consider COVID 19 vaccines for national use.
According to the documentation (Invoice) which was furnished to ZAMRA, the purported manufacturer of Hayat Vax vaccine is Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries while the selling entity is G42 Medications Trading LLC of the United Arab Emirates (Middle East).
In conducting the due diligence, ZAMRA had engaged Chrismar Earthmoving Equipment by guiding the importer that the following were required to import the COVID-19 vaccine:
- Pharmaceutical Licence: The Medicines and Allied Substances Act No.3 of 2013 requires such a person who intends to bring medicines into country to be a holder of a Pharmaceutical Licence. However, a non-pharmaceutical entity importing medicines with an intent to donate to a licensed health institution may do so provided that the medicines are delivered to the recipient upon arrival;
- Marketing Authorisation: Prior to placing a medicine for use on the Zambian market, medicines, vaccines included, are required to be registered by ZAMRA in line with the said Act; and
- Import permit: A person who intends to import medicines is required to be in possession of an import permit issued by ZAMRA.
The above requirements which were communicated to the importer in writing were not fulfilled.
This followed a written notice by ZAMRA of seizure and destruction as the importer did not meet the legal requirements as stated above.
The notice was received by a representative of the procuring entity on 26th August 2021.
In addition, a seizure form was signed by the said representative to show consent, and this was used to release the vaccine consignment to ZAMRA by ZRA on 27th August, 2021.
On the same day, the vaccines were destroyed by incineration method at the ZAMRA Incineration Compound.
The procedural steps undertaken by ZAMRA to engage the importer, Chrismar Earthmoving Equipment, until when the vaccines were destroyed were routine.
In view of the said, the action carried out by ZAMRA was to ensure that the Zambian population is protected from the risk of using the unauthorized vaccine whose quality, safety and effectiveness was not guaranteed as the named importer failed to meet the regulatory requirements.
ZAMRA has since urged members of the public who intend to import COVID19 vaccines, including other medicines and allied substances, for use on the Zambian market to ensure that the right processes and procedures are followed in accordance with the Medicines and Allied Substances Act No. 3 of 2013 to avoid stringent regulatory and legal action.
These are the people who were telling him not to concede. Wow they’re murderers. Wanting to destroy people for money sure?
They should just have used them to vaccinate the importer
Why all this incompetence bane sure awe pf go for good hate you for the lest of my life
first things first, why not telling the nation in july itself. I take these three things namely Leaked audio of Kambwili and Governor, Zesco human resource audit and this with a pinch of salt. I mean we need credible people to stand up and say things outrightly. all these happened along time. the question is had the green won, were we gona hear this. it shoes lack of forthright on the part of people who want to be seen champions. they should have put there job on the line if they have the muscle. this is just to show how hard working they are to the new government. FIRE THEM ALL
How did the shipment pass through customs control? What does ZRA know? This is the corruption that is making us economically unviable.
Now we can see why some people were very
Close with the former ruling party.They were
Eating from the same plate.
When we say Lazy Lungu’s govt was reckless this is what we mean not only reckless with finances but utterly reckless with people’s health and you are surprised that he was being booed…Findlay would have billed MOH $1 million for this unknown rubbish
All under the upnd govt. This is only the start
This findlay family wants kill us all. Can you please cage them and may labor officials visit sandy’s creations and talk to the workers only for a fact finding mission.
The UK based impostor is forgetting that Findlay used to fly with Lazy Lungu in Presidential jet.
@Tarino Orange
Your observation is spot on, the logical customer would have been MOH and yes at no less than $1 million. This is how these thieves and murderers have been making money. I like PS Malama, I hope for his sake he is not harbouring skeletons in his closet.
BTW when will someone cage this Kaizar Zulu thing? Or can someone ensure a copper projectile finds itself in the same path as his empty skull.
There was also a deal about Chrismar hotel that Chishimba kambwili revealed. Let us have the details about that please. They had no love for the country these drunkards!! Some f00ls are still supporting this evil regime – how? ECL will have his immunity lifted. This more than what FTJ was involved in!!!
more criminality than Chiluba did and makes Chiluba look like a schoolboy! ECL Extremely Criminal Leader!
I keep wondering what other organizations turned a blind eye to under the PF. It is scary.
Mwika Mulenga – Malama is part and parcel of the rot…he too has to go
And someone would take these drugs thinking they are vaccinated against covid-19…everything needs to be investigated at MOH
That’s why up to now I have never gone for covid vaccination. Everything that happened during PF’s brutal reign was not right. And this Findlay guy no stone should be left unturned to pursue every wrong he did
Thank you Directors Management and Staff of Link Pharmacy Manda Hill for saving lives of Kidney Transplant patients with your Mycophanelate MMF an immuno suppressant drug duly imported but delayed for release by ZRA and Ministry of Health at KK International Airport and yet they knew PF stopped buying essential medicines 6 months before elections. May God Bless you
No disrespect, but it is staggering that Mr Findlay with his questionable career record that he was associating himself with the president, highest office in the land.
The Edgar Lungu criminal cabal.
This is truly nazi style criminality. Buying experimental drugs to unleash on poor Zambians.
I’m sure the PF planned to administer the fake vaccines as Astrazeneca through MOH.
Honeybee part 2.
If ZAMRA are not careful, they will end up costing the Zambian government a lot of money. This Hyat Vax is the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine manufactured under licence in the United Arab Emirates. There is nothing wrong with the vaccine and it is licenced by WHO. In December 2020, the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention announced the official registration of Hyat vax. If import rules were flouted, this could have been corrected. Just because it is a man aligned to the former government does not mean that the consignment should be destroyed at a time when Covid vaccine poverty plagues the world. I am a medical doctor and I disapprove of ZAMRA actions here. Let us be sensible please and think with heads and not hearts.
And it ends there? what about the time spent to correct and incinerate? This company must pay for any associated costs. Who pays for fuel used by officers to transport those things for inceniration? Zambia needs every Ngwee to grow the economy.
@Charles Ngoma, yes you may a medical doctor, but you are no expert in vaccines. Leave that to the experts. Chinese vaccine made under licence in UAE???sounds like lifebouy soap made under licence in Chipata. A bit dodgy!
They will continue blaming pf even years after because these cows had no plan or credible manifesto
@ Dr Charles Ngoma
How many countries in Africa are importing Covid 19 vaccines via private companies? To make matters worse a company registered to supply Earthmoving Equipment. If you are truly a medical doctor you should know vaccines are a very sensitive product being primarily managed by Governments. If you ate in advance from this deal, just keep quiet.
The impostor is forgetting a lot of things recently
Is hunger dulling his mind
ZAMRA you sday vaccines were distroyed, fine.
Which media houses were present? Show us pictures of vaccines being distroyed for us to belive you.
ZAMRA you say vaccines were distroyed, fine.
Which media houses were present? Show us pictures of vaccines being distroyed for us to belive you.
If Zambia was still under gangster Lungu, these illegal, and potentially harmful, vaccines would’ve been dubiously allowed into the country. These crime syndicates must know that it’s a new dawn in Zambia. No more criminal activities. Thanks to our alert authorities for intercepting these illegally imported vaccines. We need to see more of this in Zambia going forward. No more corruption. Follow the law of the land, or face a heavy penalty. Bapompwe imwe.
This deal was probably made a few months ago whilst PF was still in power. I’m sure they wanted to sell them to MOH at exorbitant rates then boast that we as a country have also managed to buy hyax vaccine for our citizens rather than just relying on donated ones from covax. They thought Lungu will win so when these vaccines arrive it will business as usual. Unfortunately things didn’t work out for him and instead of making millions he has instead list $150000.
News sound fake..the written is almost same with A report in Kenya ana Malawi .just names dates and figures doctored
Dr Charles Ngoma – Where are you a doctor? In the US? Comeback when you read the whole article
Let them vaccinate Lungu in his stinking backside with all these vaccines, bamulute tuto namunungu wa silumba sa mahali-hali yani!