What is TMDA? How to verify medicines in Tanzania

What TMDA is

TMDA stands for the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority. TMDA's profile describes it as an executive agency under the Ministry of Health. It was set up in 2003 as the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA), under the Tanzania Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Act, Cap 219.

In 2019, the Finance Act, No. 8 of 2019 changed that law into the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Act, Cap 219, and changed the agency's name to TMDA. Food and cosmetics moved to the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS). TMDA now regulates the quality, safety and effectiveness of medicines, medical devices, diagnostics, biocidals and tobacco products.

What TMDA does

• Registers medicines, medical devices and in vitro diagnostics, and publishes lists of them
• Issues permits for importing medicines, medical devices and laboratory reagents
• Inspects the market and removes poor-quality products that are not registered
• Recalls registered products with quality problems
• Takes reports of side effects and quality defects from the public
• Keeps a public registry of clinical trials

In 2018, TFDA became the first regulator in Africa to reach Maturity Level 3 in the World Health Organization's benchmarking. WHO describes that level as a "stable, well-functioning and integrated regulatory system". In October 2025, TMDA said it had kept that status for medicines and vaccines after a reassessment in 2023, the Daily News reported.

How to verify a registered medicine

The TMDA website links to public lists on its online portal:

• Registered Medicinal Products
• Registered Medical Devices and In-vitro Diagnostics
• Approved product information for registered medicines

1. Before you open the list, write down from the label: product name, strength, dosage form, manufacturer, batch number and expiry date. Copy any registration number printed on the label too.
2. Open the Registered Medicinal Products list in your phone browser.
3. Find the product name from your label.
4. Compare the record with your label, one detail at a time.

If the product is not on the list, do not use it, and call TMDA on its toll-free line, 0800 110 084. In September 2026, TMDA seized cancer, diabetes, epilepsy and blood pressure medicines at Julius Nyerere International Airport. Dr Adam Fimbo, TMDA's Director General, said the products had not been registered in Tanzania and their quality, safety and effectiveness had not been verified, the Daily News reported.

What to look for on the label

On the label, look at the name, strength, manufacturer, batch number and expiry date. Each one should match the record. A registered product can still be faked. Under TMDA's rapid alert process, when a registered product turns out to be poor quality, TMDA contacts the manufacturer through its local agent. If the manufacturer says it did not make the product, TMDA treats the product as falsified and tests samples in its laboratory.

A product name on TMDA's list shows that the medicine was registered. A fake can copy that name. Compare every detail on the label, including the batch number.

For more signs, read how to identify fake drugs and batch numbers and expiry dates. Some companies protect their products with anti-counterfeiting methods. You can verify a product protected with Batach with your phone at batach.io/scan.

Buy from a registered pharmacy

The Pharmacy Council of Tanzania publishes a list of registered premises, and TMDA links to it. Each entry gives the facility name, its category (for example retail, wholesale or hospital pharmacy), its status (operating, closed, cancelled or suspended), and its region, district, ward and address. Find the pharmacy by name and make sure its status says operating.

How to report a suspected fake

If the label does not match the record, do not use the product. Keep it and your receipt. Then report it to TMDA:

• Use TMDA's Safety and Quality Reporting Tool on your computer or phone. You can also dial *152*00# on your phone or install the SQRT app. The tool takes reports of side effects and quality defects.
• Call TMDA's toll-free line on 0800 110 084.
• Email info@tmda.go.tz.
• Fill in TMDA's complaints form.

When TMDA finds a falsified medicine in Tanzania, it issues a press release to the public and reports the medicine to WHO. TMDA publishes product recalls on its website. More on reporting in how to report a fake product.

Food, cosmetics and other goods: TBS

The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) registers imported food and cosmetic products. Only products that meet standards are registered, and each one gets a registration certificate through an online system. TBS also registers the premises of food and cosmetics businesses, such as slaughterhouses. In April 2026, a TBS registration manager said traders who import or sell food or cosmetics must be registered importers, and their products must be registered, The Citizen reported.

The TBS website has three lists you can use:

• Registered food and cosmetic products, with the importer, product name, brand, manufacturer, country, registration number and expiry date
• Certified products and companies, with the licence number, standard and expiry date
• Banned products

To report a food or cosmetic product to TBS, call the toll-free line on 0800 110 827, email info@tbs.go.tz or use the whistle blower form on tbs.go.tz. If you are in Kenya, read about the KEBS standardization mark.

Zanzibar has its own agency

In Zanzibar, the Zanzibar Food and Drug Agency (ZFDA) regulates the safety, quality and efficiency of food, medicines, cosmetics, medical devices and diagnostics. It is a semi-autonomous body under Zanzibar's Ministry of Health. Its toll-free line is 0800 110 211, and its email is info@zfda.go.tz.