Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke-Senior Health Reporter
THE Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe wants content creators and social media influencers to comply with medicine advertising regulations amid growing concerns over the promotion of unregistered medicines and misleading medical products on digital platforms.
This follows an increase in medicine advertisements by online influencers that contravene the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act.
Speaking during a meeting with content creators in Harare yesterday, MCAZ public relations officer Mr Davidson Kaiyo said the authority deliberately chose engagement over punitive action to bridge knowledge gaps on medicine advertising regulations.
“We noted the proliferation of advertising of medicines by our content creators and realised that, while some of those adverts were contrary to the law, many of the creators were simply unaware of the legal requirements.
“We felt that instead of simply taking enforcement action, it was important to engage them so that they understand the procedures that must be followed before advertising medicines.
“We want to create synergy because content creators are now carrying the voice of the people and are setting the pace in storytelling and content creation,” he said.
Mr Kaiyo said the rapid growth of digital platforms had transformed the way Zimbabweans access health information, making content creators influential voices in shaping public perceptions of medicines and healthcare.
MCAZ’s mandate to protect public health by ensuring medicines and medical devices on the market are safe, effective and of assured quality now extends beyond pharmacies and manufacturers to online spaces where health information is increasingly shared.
Earlier this year, MCAZ inspectors, working with the Zimbabwe Republic Police, uncovered an illegal medicine manufacturing operation in Zimre Park involving a company trading as Organicare producing and distributing what was thought to be substandard and falsified medical products.
Mr Kaiyo said following that operation, they observed a worrying pattern where some social media influencers and content creators were advertising and endorsing medicines through posts, skits and other promotional content that fell outside the requirements of medicines advertising regulations.
MCAZ believes most violations stemmed from a lack of awareness rather than deliberate misconduct.
Mr Kaiyo said the engagement sought to educate content creators on the legal framework governing medicine advertising, prohibited and misleading advertisements, prescription medicines, codeine-based preparations, psychotropic substances and the process of obtaining MCAZ approval before advertising medicines where required.
“A single unregulated post promoting a substandard or falsified medicine can reach more Zimbabweans in an hour than a public health warning reaches in a week.
“That is the responsibility this room carries. MCAZ is not here to police creativity or restrict freedom of expression. We are here to build a partnership because compliance and creativity are not opposites. This is about protecting lives,” he said.
Content creators welcomed the initiative, saying it had exposed knowledge gaps that could have placed both the public and their brands at risk.
Brand influencer Ms Lorraine Guyo admitted that many influencers had unknowingly been operating outside the law.
“This is my first time engaging with MCAZ because we have been operating in the dark, thinking we were allowed to advertise everything. Today we learnt that some medicines are not allowed to be advertised and we also learnt the consequences of breaking the law.:
However, Ms Guyo appealed to MCAZ to streamline its approval processes.
“They told us that approval can take up to 60 days, which is quite long for us because we are in business and need to work promptly. It’s also important for MCAZ to increase awareness because not all content creators attended this meeting,” she said.
Another content creator, Ms Wessy Issa, said the engagement had highlighted the need for influencers to conduct due diligence before accepting advertising contracts. Content Creators Association of Zimbabwe president Mr Takunda Tapfuma described the engagement as timely.
“We are happy that MCAZ has engaged us so that we know what to look for before accepting advertising work involving medical products,” he said
