National Drug Authority (NDA) Uganda: how to verify a medicine or drug shop

What the National Drug Authority is

The National Drug Authority was set up in 1993 by the National Drug Policy and Authority Statute. In 2000 the statute became the National Drug Policy and Authority Act. NDA states its mandate as making sure that essential, effective and cost-effective medicines are available to everyone in Uganda at all times, and that medicines are used appropriately.

Section 5 of the Act lists NDA's functions. In plain words, NDA:

• Regulates pharmacies and medicines across Uganda
• Controls the import, export and sale of medicines
• Controls the quality of medicines
• Promotes and controls the local production of essential medicines
• Encourages research on herbal medicines
• Issues guidelines and information for health workers and the public
• Advises the Minister of Health on the National Drug Policy

NDA also regulates adverts for medicines, including herbal medicines. An advert for a medicine in the media needs NDA approval. NDA's head office is the NDA Tower, Plot 93, Buganda Road, Kampala, and it has regional offices in Lira, Hoima, Jinja, Soroti, Masaka, Mbarara, Tororo and Arua.

How to verify that a medicine is registered

NDA keeps an online Drug Register. NDA says the list is updated when it evaluates products and inspects the sites that make them, and the page shows the month of the latest edition. The register is split into human medicines, veterinary medicines, human herbal medicines, veterinary herbal medicines, local traditional herbal medicines, and surgical instruments and appliances.

1. Open nda.or.ug/drug-register in your phone browser.
2. Choose the tab that fits your product, for example Human for a medicine for people.
3. Search for the name of the medicine as it appears on the box.
4. Compare the record with the box: name of the medicine, licence holder, manufacturing site, country of manufacture and dosage form.

Each record carries an NDA registration number. In the register, numbers for human medicines start with NDA/MAL/HDP/, veterinary medicines with NDA/MAL/VDP/ and human herbal medicines with NDA/MAL/HHP/. Search the number printed on your box as well as the name.

A registration number on a label can be copied from another product. The record for that number must name the same medicine, maker and dosage form as your box.

How to verify a pharmacy or drug shop

NDA publishes two lists of licensed premises on its online services page:

• Licensed Outlets: pharmacies, wholesalers and other premises, with the premises name, NDA premises number, type (for example Retail Pharmacy), address, district and region.
• Licensed Drug Shops: drug shops grouped by region, with the name, district, physical address and NDA registration number.

Open the list, use your browser's find-in-page tool, and type the name of the pharmacy or drug shop. Make sure the address in the list matches the shop you are standing in. NDA also publishes separate lists of veterinary pharmacies and veterinary drug shops.

NDA closes outlets that operate without a licence. In a week-long operation in the Western Region in September 2025, it closed 82 drug outlets and impounded medicines worth over UGX 150 million. In December 2024, it reported closing 900 illegal outlets in Kampala after a three-month operation. NDA asks you to buy medicines only from licensed pharmacies and drug shops.

What a fake medicine can look like

In October 2026, NDA uncovered a counterfeit antiseptic operation on William Street in Kampala, the Daily Monitor reported. The suspects allegedly mixed their own solutions, sold them under the Kevlon Gentle name and supplied clinics and laboratories. Their labels carried NDA registration numbers taken from other products. Officers recovered over 200 litres of the solutions, thousands of empty containers and counterfeit labels.

Copied numbers are the reason to search the register instead of trusting the label. Signs that something is wrong:

• The registration number on the box is not in the Drug Register.
• The number belongs to a different medicine, maker or dosage form.
• The seller is not on the Licensed Outlets or Licensed Drug Shops list.
• The box, the label or the medicine looks, smells or feels different from what you usually get.

NDA lists withdrawn products on its drug recalls page. If your product or batch appears there, do not use it. For more signs, read how to identify fake drugs. Some companies protect their products with anti-counterfeiting methods. You can verify a product protected with Batach with your phone at batach.io/scan.

How to report to NDA

Keep the medicine, its box and your receipt. Then contact NDA:

• Toll-free: 0800 101 999
• WhatsApp: 0740 002 070
• Pharmacovigilance: +256 740002070 or +256 740002080
• Online: the ADR and AEFI reporting tool for side effects of medicines and vaccines
• In person: NDA Tower, Plot 93, Buganda Road, Kampala, or any NDA regional office

NDA asks you to use the toll-free line or WhatsApp to report suspected drug-related crimes, such as fake medicines or unlicensed sellers. If you took a medicine and had a side effect, report that too, and see a health worker.

UNBS and the Q-mark for other goods

NDA covers medicines. For many other goods, such as toilet paper and paint, the body to know is the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS). UNBS certifies products against Uganda Standards.

Under its Product Quality Certification Scheme, UNBS gives a manufacturer a permit to put the UNBS Quality Mark, known as the Q-mark, on the product or its packaging. UNBS says the mark assures you that the product conforms to Uganda Standards. The mark carries the number or name of the standard the product was certified against. UNBS keeps watch on certified products with surprise inspections and tests on samples from factories and the market, according to its product certification page.

To verify a Q-mark, search for the product in the List of Certified Products on the UNBS website. Some certified products also carry UNBS digital conformity stamps. In June 2024, UNBS said you can scan these stamps with the Kakasa app to verify certification, Kampala Post reported.

Report substandard goods to UNBS on its toll-free lines, 0800 133 133 or 0800 233 233, or by email to [email protected]. If you are in Kenya, the equivalents are the Pharmacy and Poisons Board for medicines and KEBS for other goods.