Inside Malawi’s Drug Scandal: How GPSL Wholesale Ltd Supplied Expired Medicines and Escaped Accountability for Years
An investigation by the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) [https://www.pijmalawi.org/] has revealed that GPSL Wholesale Ltd supplied expired and falsified medicines to public hospitals in Malawi and continued operating despite repeated regulatory action over more than a decade.
Documents reviewed in the investigation show that in 2022, GPSL purchased expired insulin that had been stolen from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, where it was awaiting destruction. The insulin was repackaged with falsified labels and redistributed to major public hospitals.
The affected facilities included Kamuzu Central Hospital, Mzuzu Central Hospital, and Zomba Central Hospital. Records indicate that some of the expired insulin was also supplied back to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.
The scheme was uncovered after an intern at Kamuzu Central Hospital noticed labels peeling off insulin vials stored in a refrigerator, exposing original expiry dates that had already passed.
According to investigation findings, the insulin had originally expired in August 2021 but was relabelled by GPSL to indicate a new expiry date of October 2022. The company recorded the purchase as if the drugs had been sourced from legitimate suppliers, despite regulations requiring procurement only from registered manufacturers.
The Pharmacy Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) confirmed that expired insulin can lose effectiveness and may lead to serious health complications.
Following the discovery, PMRA investigators closed GPSL offices in Lilongwe and Blantyre in April 2022 and arrested several individuals linked to the case. However, disciplinary records show that although the PMRA technical committee recommended revoking the company’s license, the board declined and instead issued a warning.
The investigation further established that GPSL is linked to Galaxy Pharmaceutical and Surgical Logistics Ltd, a company that was shut down in 2013 after supplying faulty antibiotics linked to infant deaths at Mzimba District Hospital.
Former PMRA registrar Mphatso Kawaye confirmed that the earlier case involved multiple infant deaths following administration of the antibiotic Chloramphenicol supplied by Galaxy. The company’s license was revoked at the time.
Despite this, records show that in 2019 the same entity resumed operations under the name GPSL Wholesale Ltd after being granted a new license by the PMRA.
Correspondence from PMRA during the 2022 insulin investigation referred to GPSL as Galaxy Pharmaceutical, indicating recognition within regulatory records that the two entities are the same.
The PIJ investigation also found that a key case file related to the 2013 antibiotic deaths was stolen from PMRA offices during the investigation. Internal documents suggest the theft was part of a cover-up involving individuals linked to the case.
In the insulin case, enforcement actions focused largely on individuals rather than the company. A hospital pharmacy official was suspended for failing to secure storage areas, while a technician accused of stealing the insulin faced criminal charges. Two GPSL pharmacists were also suspended.
However, the company’s operations were not fully shut down. Only its Lilongwe office was ordered closed, while its Blantyre operations continued.
The criminal case related to the insulin incident has since stalled in court.
The Ministry of Health said an internal review found no deaths linked to the expired insulin, although PMRA documents indicate no full investigation was conducted to verify this conclusion.
Civil society organisations have raised concern over the findings. George Jobe, executive director of the Malawi Health Equity Network, said supplying compromised medicines undermines public trust and violates patient rights.
A 2022 study by the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences found that 14.3 percent of medicines in Malawi are substandard or falsified, highlighting broader systemic risks in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
The investigation raises questions about regulatory oversight, enforcement consistency, and the continued operation of companies previously sanctioned for serious violations.
GPSL and its listed directors did not respond to requests for comment.
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