Sudan Media Forum
PORT SUDAN September 27, 2025 (Sudan Tribune) – Four days after her mother’s death, Salwa found the malaria medicine she had been using. A glance at the box was all it took; the expiration date read 2018.
Salwa’s search for the medication was a desperate one amid the chaos of Khartoum, where she lives in the southern Hizam area. She eventually found it at the Sabreen popular market in Omdurman.
She had no idea that what she thought was a lifeline for her mother—worn down by illness and ineffective local remedies—would ultimately be the cause of her death. “I believe in God’s will, but I will never forgive myself for not checking the date on that medicine,” Salwa told Sudan Tribune, her voice heavy with grief.
Official Action, Limited Oversight
Mohamed Bashir, Secretary of the Supervisory Secretariat at the National Council for Medicines and Poisons, acknowledges significant challenges. He confirmed to Sudan Tribune that numerous pharmaceutical violations have recently been uncovered, leading to legal action against pharmacies found with non-compliant drugs under the Medicines and Poisons Act.
While Bashir claims that violations have significantly decreased “due to improved drug availability and the effective supervisory role of the council’s branches,” according to a semi-annual report, the reality reflected in stories like Salwa’s paints a starkly different picture.
Bashir stressed that the council is fighting smuggled drugs by strengthening oversight, activating its regional mechanisms, and conducting regular inspections, which has helped reduce the presence of unregistered medicines. He pointed to a strong legal framework in the Medicines and Poisons Act of 2009, supported by other laws like the Consumer Protection Act.
He added that a high committee for border control, including customs, economic security, and standards organizations, has been formed to protect the country from smuggled drugs. He also affirmed that drug prices are subject to strict pricing regulations.
“Koko”: The Death Trade
Pharmacist Dr. Bahaa El-Din El-Haj explained to Sudan Tribune that Sudan has for years been plagued by counterfeit drugs from unknown sources, known locally as “Koko.”
El-Haj asserts that the trade in these lethal drugs flourished after the 2021 coup and has reached catastrophic levels during the current war. “Because of the war,” he said, “most of the drugs now being sold and distributed are counterfeit and from unknown origins.”
He revealed that most counterfeit drugs enter Sudan from Egypt via the Argeen crossing and from India through South Sudan to the city of Rabak, with additional shipments arriving through Kassala state.
El-Haj warns that these fake medicines pose a deadly threat to public health. Patients consume them unaware that they may contain toxic substances or incorrect dosages, leading to poisoning, treatment failure, or a worsening of their condition.
“These products also accelerate the spread of drug-resistant infections, especially for anti-malarials and antibiotics,” he added.
Regarding the debate over using expired medication, El-Haj noted the issue is complex. He distinguishes between the “expiration date,” which indicates when a drug should no longer be used, and its “shelf-life,” the period during which the active ingredient maintains at least 90% of its potency.
“But in post-war Sudan, amid the greed of unscrupulous individuals and a lack of oversight, the lines have blurred,” he cautioned. “It’s no longer just about expired dates. The market is flooded with completely fake drugs alongside expired ones, with very few legitimate medicines available.”
El-Haj attributed soaring drug prices to the war’s disruption of supply chains and the collapse of the pharmaceutical system, as most local companies and factories have ceased operations. He emphasized that Sudan’s pharmaceutical supply has been unstable for the past fifteen years.
A Deepening Crisis, Devastating Losses
Ammar Mohamed, a former employee at the Medicines Council, said the crisis is not new. He told Sudan Tribune about previous UN reports that warned of counterfeit drugs spreading in African nations, including Sudan. He confirmed the council worked diligently to combat this before the war, but the ongoing conflict has “exacerbated the drug crisis to an unprecedented degree.”
“The losses are no longer just human lives,” Mohamed concluded. “They extend to severe economic consequences for the state, which is now witnessing the collapse of its health system as its people die, either from a lack of medicine or from a trade in poison.”
This report, prepared by Sudan Tribune, is being published by the Sudan Media Forum and its member institutions to highlight the crisis of counterfeit and expired drugs in Sudan. It aims to expose the weak official oversight and the grave health and economic dangers posed by this worsening phenomenon amid the ongoing war.
