MCAZ Archives - HealthTimes

MCAZ in Global Benchmarking Tool Maturity Level 3 Upbeat Mode

September 9, 2023September 9, 2023 Kuda Pembere

With the Vice President and Health and Child Care Minister Dr Constantine Chiwenga exhorting the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) to attain the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT) Maturity Level 3 by year end, the authority says it is well on course as they are now waiting for reassessment. By Kuda Pembere Speaking at the MCAZ Annual General Meeting in Harare on Friday, VP Chiwenga said this GBT is important as it guides regulatory programs of various medical products such as medicines, vaccines, blood products, and…

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MCAZ bans errant pharmaceutical players

August 2, 2023August 2, 2023 Kuda Pembere

THE Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) has barred 16 pharmaceutical operators in the retail and wholesale sectors from operating following a blitz which saw them at fault of different issues such as selling unregistered medicines and failure to account for prescription preparation medicines, HealthTimes has learned. By Kuda Pembere The deviant operators included individuals and premises, and some have been banned from operating till March 2024. Others will have their ban lifted in June 2026. “Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) advises its stakeholders of the cancellation of the…

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MCAZ amends medicine registration requirements

July 25, 2023 Kuda Pembere

THE Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) recently reviewed the conditions of registration of medicines for better monitoring and analyzing the efficacy as well as the quality of imported and locally manufactured medicines. By Kudakwashe Pembere The Authority which effected this amendment since July 7, 2023, said they are there to ensure that safety, effectiveness and quality of a medicine is maintained throughout its life cycle. This will see applicants having their medicines assessed after every five years in accordance with the current norms and standards. Applicants are required to…

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MCAZ Quality Management Systems charm Rwanda FDA

July 10, 2023 Kuda Pembere

A delegation of the Rwanda Food and Drug Authority (Rwanda FDA), is in the country to learn and share notes with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) quality management systems. By Kuda Pembere The Rwanda FDA Quality Assurance Analyst, Mr Theodene Ndayambaje said MCAZ quality management system is enviable. The Rwanda FDA was established in 2018. I first of all thank you on behalf of RWANDA FDA for the warm welcome. Rwanda FDA having a similar mandate with the MCAZ, and being a new authority established in Rwanda, it…

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MCAZ, Customs, Police, and Prosecting Authority commit to eliminate remarketing of dangerous drugs

July 4, 2023 Kuda Pembere

THE Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe on Friday convened a stakeholder engagement meeting with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Criminal Investigations Department Narcotics Division (CID Narcotics), National Prosecution Authority (NPA)as well as the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) where they expressed commitment to eliminate dangerous drugs from the streets. By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe is seized with the reduction of drug and substance abuse with youths being heavily affected. Speaking after meeting, MCAZ public relations officer Mr Davidson Kaiyo said they agreed on continued collaboration between the stakeholders in law enforcement, judiciary…

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MCAZ warns of fatal skin disease medication side effects

June 22, 2023June 22, 2023 Healthtimes

The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe is calling on the public to report to them if they used Isotretinoin and Thalidomide which are specially restricted preparations dangerous enough to cause mental health disorders in children. These drugs are often bought after being prescribed by dermatologists, skin diseases experts. MCAZ Chief Regulation Officer – Enforcement Mrs Caroline Dandira-Samatanga in a statement noted they learned these medical products were widely on sale to the public despite the drugs being prescription drugs. The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) is mandated to protect…

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MCAZ procures state of the art microbial identification system

May 23, 2023 Kuda Pembere

THE Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) has added to its laboratory equipment, a microbial identification system which will help the Authority in identifying bacteria and fungi. By Kuda Pembere The Authority in a statement said they acquired the state-of-the-art Vitek 2 XL Microbial Identification System. “We have acquired a state-of-the-art microbial identification system, the Vitek 2 XL Microbial Identification System (MIS) and therefore are able to in the position of the identification of bacteria and fungi. This is crucial in many industrial applications including environmental monitoring, contamination investigation and…

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Zim, Egypt medical products regulatory authorities sign MOU

May 15, 2023 Kuda Pembere

THE Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) and the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen the countries’ ties in the regulation pharmaceutical and medical products as well as trade thereof. By Kudakwashe Pembere Officiating the signing ceremony was the Vice President of Zimbabwe and Health and Child Care Minister Dr Constantine Chiwenga. Also present during the signing ceremony was the EDA delegation led by its Authority chairperson Professor Professor Tamer Essam, the Egyptian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Ms Salma Mowafi as well as MCAZ board…

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Zim readies incorporation of Cabotegravir into local PrEP guidelines

May 12, 2023May 12, 2023 Kuda Pembere

FOLLOWING the approval for use of Cabotegravir (CAB-LA) in Zimbabwe by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) last year, the country is expected to have incorporated the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines of this long-acting HIV preventive method into its own HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in June. By Kudakwashe Pembere That the WHO guidelines would be incorporated into Zimbabwe’s was revealed by renowned HIV Prevention expert Dr Nyaradzo Mgodi last week in a media science café organized by the Health Communicators Forum (HCF). Zimbabwe is the first African country to…

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Zimbabwe Suspends Use Of Pholcodine Cough Medicines Use

April 15, 2023 Kuda Pembere

The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) has halted the use of medicines containing the pholcodine substance after learning it causes life threatening adverse reactions. By Kuda Pembere In a statement, MCAZ Director General Mr Richard Rukwata said they found that use of pholcodine a year before general anasthesia had high risk of getting anaphylactic reactions. Available data indicated that the use of pholcodine in the twelve (12) months before general anesthesia with neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) such as suxamethonium, and atracurium is a risk factor for developing an anaphylactic…

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