Chinese Fertility Pill Makes Secret Comeback Despite Ban

A Chinese fertility pill commonly referred to as Sophia has made a secret comeback to the country despite being banned by the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB).

The pill that has been on the ban list for almost ten years now is back in the market being sold under the disguise of herbal clinics and some are delivered on order by unscrupulous dealers in the country.

Reports by Business Daily indicated that PPB banned the drug due to its adverse and negative side effects on women and babies after use.

Due to its disguise, the pill is easy to buy and also pocket-friendly as one needs to consume it only once in a month for only Ksh 200 which made it even more attractive to women keen on family planning.

The illegal pills, sold under the guise that they are herbal to mean they are made from natural ingredients, have been reported to cause negative side-effects on women and children of breastfeeding mothers.

Women on the pill experience negative effects with the most common ones being nausea, tender breasts, palpitations, "heavy" legs, tiredness and a feeling of false pregnancy.

Past analysis of the pill by National Quality Control Laboratory (NQCL) found the drug to have abnormally high levels of the hormones levonorgestrel and quinestrol, the active ingredients in conventional contraceptive pills which are over 40 times of the recommended levels.

"Babies born to these women or babies breastfeeding while their mothers are on the pills are exposed to excess estrogen and carry a risk of developing secondary sexual features," explained Dr. Jill Mutua, a senior pharmacist.

Cases of children born with enlarged breasts and abnormally developed uterus of children below three years have been recorded. Other complications in breastfeeding children were swollen feet, knock-knees, painful muscles and slurred speech.

According to Dr. Fernandes, also Chief Health Adviser at Minet Kenya, "There is no literature regarding this drug, and so when faced by a patient it is hard to know where to begin. All we know is that for a single dose to be effective for a whole month, then it must have high doses of the hormones and that is very dangerous to the health of the woman."

PPB is unaware of how the pills get into the country but it is believed that laxity by officers at the points of entry have fueled their proliferation.

Women who have fallen prey to these deadly pill dealers have been unable to verify the composition of the pill since information on the pack is in the Chinese language, which is contrary to the Laws of Kenya, Cap 244.

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