26 February 2025

Mozambican Business Community Raises Concerns Over QUNTROLs Role in Medicine Quality Testing

Mozambican businesspeople have voiced concerns regarding the practices of QUNTROL, a company that allegedly charges fees for testing the quality of medicines imported from India, despite lacking the necessary laboratories or infrastructure to conduct such tests.

Additionally, QUNTROL is said to duplicate the functions of the Mozambique Medicines Regulatory Authority (ANARME), raising concerns within the sector about its impact on foreign trade.

The issue was highlighted last week by Agostinho Vuma, president of the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA), during the 18th edition of the Economic Briefing, a quarterly private-sector event.

According to Vuma, the situation began in 2017 when ANARME issued a circular notifying importers about the presence of a company responsible for testing the quality of medicines from India. However, manufacturers soon discovered that QUNTROL was not a laboratory but an institution created for this purpose, lacking the necessary structure for the task.

"In reality, we do not fully understand the purpose of this company’s creation, other than for extortion, since it lacks laboratories and currently performs the same role as ANARME," Vuma stated.

Contrary to its intended purpose, QUNTROL reportedly does not conduct quality testing but merely inspects packaging and presentation. This practice, critics argue, allows substandard products to enter Mozambique, undermining efforts to ensure medicine quality.

The CTA attributes the ongoing challenges to inconsistencies in product inspection terminology, despite referring to the same goods. Vuma further explained that QUNTROL charges exporters an inspection fee, which is then passed on to importers. However, this cost is not reflected in the official price list, affecting final price calculations.

Following multiple discussions between the Mozambique Association of Importers and Producers of Medicines (AIPROMEM) and the then National Directorate of Pharmacies (DNF), stakeholders questioned the criteria used by the Ministry of Health (MISAU) and DNF in selecting a laboratory or company for quality testing. Without a clear response, authorities later stated that QUNTROL represented the DNF in India, eventually issuing a decree on the matter.