LMHRA On Report Of 16-yr. Old Death

LMHRA On Report Of 16-yr. Old Death

A release said, the attention of the board of directors and the management of the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA), said, its attention has been drawn to recent trending media reports on a medical event that occurred at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in January, 2025,

 the resultant regulatory response of the LMHRA. “While it is not standard practice of the LMHRA to litigate sensitive health issues in the media, it is expedient in this instance to lend some clarity on this matter.”

Following the death of a 16-year-old boy at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in January, 2025, and the subsequent release of the investigative report by the Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC), the LMHRA launched an independent investigation into the medical products that were used to identify the cause(s) of the Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR); assess the regulatory status of the drugs involved and proffer measures to prevent future occurrences.

The findings of the LMHRA’s independent investigation, the entity said, revealed that

the anesthesia bupivacaine spinal injection with tradename marcaine® spinal heavy (0.5 percent), in additional to five other medications, were administered to the patient; that the adverse Drug Reaction (ADR), which the patient experienced is not uncommon in medical practice; that the attribution of ADR to a drug after a concoction of medications has been administered, is rather inconclusive in the absence of further medical investigation, including testing; all of the medications administered during the procedure met the basic regulatory requirements as stipulated by the LMHRA with the exception of the anesthesia bupivacaine spinal injection; the regulatory violation of the bupivacaine spinal injection was that the labeling was done in a foreign language.

This contravenes chapter 2, section 1, number 3 of the regulations for labelling of medicines and health products.

It states that: “all information contained on the label of medicines and health products must be in English.”

In 2022, G2 Pharmacy applied to the LMHRA for the registration of Bupivacaine spinal injection and after the drug dossier review, were granted registration for a period of three years and has since been importing the drug into the country; the investigative team, on inspection of the pharmacy of St. Joseph Catholic Hospital, noted that 24 packs of the anesthesia drug, bupivacaine spinal injection, was still in stock and all had inscriptions in a foreign language.

After a review of the findings, the LMHRA Management Team carried out regulatory actions, including  the remaining 24 packs of bupivacaine spinal injection found in the St. Joseph Catholic Hospital Pharmacy were removed from the premise and taken to the LMHRA’s Central Office; that the regulatory lapses of G2 pharmacy relative to the labeling of the bupivacaine spinal injection in a foreign language were referred to the LMHRA Hearing Board for further investigation; that the hearing board, having done its investigation into the matter, recommended that G2 Pharmacy be fined the sum of US$10,000 which the G2 Pharmacy took an appeal.

Having reviewed the Act of 2010, and the “regulations on mislabeling,” and recognized that the recommended fine was far beyond the maximum fine for the offense, the management of LMHRA approved the appealed fine of $1,500, which the G2 Pharmacy has since paid.

The Board of Directors also recommended that the LMHRA management team carry out actions, including the Conduct Post Market Surveillance to remove all bupivacaine spinal injection in circulation.

The LMHRA assures the general public that it remains committed to its core mandate of protecting the health of the population by ensuring that only quality medicines and health products are in circulation.

This release was signed by Momoh B. Siryon, Communications Manager, LMHRA.

PAL Elects Toweh, Others

The Publisher Association of Liberia has elected a new team of leaders after its July 31st election.

Those elected, according to the chairperson of the elections Committee, Carlton Boah, are Alphonso Toweh, President,  Bai Best ,Vice president,  Winnie Saywah Jimmy,  Secretary General and Chester Smith, Financial Secretary.

The election of the new team of leaders follows the end of Othello Garblah leadership.  The