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Banned deformity-causing Chinese fertility pill makes secret comeback

Monday, June 17, 2019 — updated on September 24, 2020 - 4 min read

A Chinese-made fertility pill that was banned from the Kenyan market 10 years ago due to multiple negative side effects on women and babies is being sold secretly in some parts of the country, the Business Daily has established.

The once-a-month pill popularly known as Sofia is being sold in herbal clinics behind the back of the sector’s regulator, the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB).

Deformity causing Chinese family planning pills banned locally 10 years ago makes a comeback.
The once-a-month unlicensed Chinese drug, popularly known as Sofia, are easy to purchase from “herbal clinics” and unscrupulous dealers who do deliveries on order across the country.
The banned pills have been reported to cause bothersome side-effects on women and including children of breastfeeding mothers.
Women on the pill experienced varying effects with the common ones being nausea, tender breasts, palpitations, “heavy” legs, tiredness and “feeling pregnant”
Cases of children born with enlarged breasts and uterus of children below three years have been recorded.
Other complications in breastfeeding children were swollen feet developing knock knees, painful muscles and stunted speech.
A woman who spoke to the Business Daily said after discontinuing the pill she missed her menses for months and only visited a gynaecologist when she started emitting smelly discharge.
She had an abnormally thickened endometrium-experienced by women with no vaginal bleeding-which poses a high risk of endometrial cancer.
Women falling prey to the dealers are also unable to verify the pills composition since information on the pack is in Chinese language, which was contrary to the Laws of Kenya, Cap 244.