On a warm spring morning at the European headquarters of a leading global pharmaceutical company. The company decided to donate some of its most effective, though expensive, cancer medications to low-income countries. The goal was to make life-saving treatment accessible to patients who needed it most. A West African country was chosen as the pilot location, and a passionate project team was assembled. 

Partners were identified, including over 50 pharmacies enlisted to distribute the medicines. Plans were drawn up, success metrics were defined, and the initiative was given an inspiring name that captured the company’s vision of impact and hope. Excitement filled the air as boxes of medicine soon arrived at local pharmacies, ready to be dispensed at no cost to patients. 

Partners promoting the free treatments began to receive troubling news—the medicines were no longer available. Stocks that were meant to last three months had vanished in just a few weeks. Investigations later revealed that many of the donated drugs had been diverted into unauthorized commercial channels, sold illegally for profit.

“ Approximately 290,000 packs of antifungal medication donated by Pfizer for HIV-positive patients in Nigeria were illegally diverted and sold on the open market, in Angola, anti-malarial medicines valued at over $600,000 were misappropriated for unauthorized commercial sale, while in Kenya, donated tuberculosis drugs worth an estimated $100,000 were also diverted for profit.”

Pharmaceutical goodwill has changed lives. Multinational companies and global health organizations have donated billions of dollars’ worth of life-saving drugs to communities battling malaria, HIV/AIDS, and other infectious diseases. These efforts have been a cornerstone of global health solidarity.

But as discussed in the BBC Africa Daily episode “Where Does Donated Medicine in Africa Really End Up?”, this goodwill has a shadow side. When the donations stop, an unexpected and dangerous market often emerges — one filled with fake, falsified, and counterfeit medicines.

“When the donations end, the demand doesn’t disappear,” said one Nigerian health worker in the episode. “People still need the medicine—so others find a way to sell something that looks the same.”

This is how a humanitarian act can unintentionally sustain a vicious cycle of deception, one that undermines patient trust, public health systems, and pharmaceutical integrity.

The Donation Dilemma: When Supply Gaps Invite Counterfeits

Drug donation programs often begin with noble intent and rigorous oversight. Medicines are shipped from reputable manufacturers, distributed through ministries of health, and dispensed free of charge to those in need. However, once these programs phase out or encounter logistical bottlenecks, the local market feels the absence immediately. Clinics that once depended on steady supplies face empty shelves. Pharmacies, under pressure to meet community demand, may unknowingly (or knowingly) source counterfeit alternatives.

The result:

• Donated drugs once available for free start appearing for sale in informal markets.

• When official supplies dry up, counterfeiters exploit the gap with convincing fakes.

• Patients, desperate for continuity of treatment, purchase these counterfeit drugs.

Why Counterfeits Persist in Africa’s Pharmaceutical Market

In some countries, up to 40% of medicines circulating in the market are either fake or of poor quality. The persistence of this problem comes down to one issue: opacity.

Once a medicine shipment leaves a donor warehouse or border checkpoint, traceability breaks down. Manual tracking, paper documentation, and fragmented supply chains create the perfect conditions for counterfeit infiltration. Without digital visibility, there’s no way to verify whether a medicine is genuine, where it originated, or who handled it. This lack of transparency cripples efforts to protect patients and brands alike.

Traceability: The Missing Link Between Goodwill and Accountability

This is where Validproof steps in — bridging the gap between goodwill and accountability with a powerful traceability and anti-counterfeit platform designed for the African pharmaceutical landscape. Validproof assigns a unique digital identity to every medicine unit. From the moment it leaves the manufacturer’s facility to the point of dispensing, each product is tracked, verified, and authenticated across the supply chain. Stakeholders, including regulators, distributors, pharmacies, and patients can confirm drugs’ proof of origin, proof of authenticity and manufacturers confirm drugs get into the hands that need it most.

With Validproof, pharmaceutical companies can:

• Prevent counterfeit infiltration through end-to-end traceability,

• Monitor donation programs beyond the point of delivery. 

• Protect their brand reputation, consumer trust, and meet global compliance standards such as WHO’s traceability framework.

• Generate actionable insights to strengthen supply chain transparency.

In short, Validproof ensures that goodwill doesn’t turn into vulnerability.

Building Trust in the Post-Donation Era

Pharmaceutical manufacturers and donors must now go beyond the act of giving. True impact lies in ensuring that every medicine donated or sold remains authentic, traceable, and safe — even after programs end. We are offering free Traceability for donated medicines up to 1M packs at no cost. Book a free Consultation. If your company planning to donate C

With traceability as the backbone of transparency, companies can protect both public health and brand integrity, creating a win-win for patients and industry stakeholders alike. 

Take the Next Step with Validproof

At Validproof, we believe that technology can transform trust. Wanna to learn more download our Ebook, Lean Traceability for Pharma 

By embedding traceability into every layer of the pharmaceutical supply chain, we can end the cycle of fake and falsified medicines — for good.