Regulators, researchers, industry leaders, and experts in the health system came together from the 24th to the 26th November for a three-day E-Pharmacy Co-Creation Workshop with a focus on strengthening Kenya’s regulatory environment for online pharmacies. The forum drew together several key voices shaping the future of digital health with one common goal: a commitment to improving how medicines are accessed and delivered through online platforms.
The workshop opened with reflections on the growing importance of e-pharmacy in low- and middle-income countries. Millions of people, participants noted, continue to struggle with the limited availability of affordable, good-quality medicines, an issue that accelerated interest in online purchasing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, this shift has signaled a health-seeking behavioral transformation, offering new opportunities for expansion with emerging risks that require careful oversight.
Discussions also highlighted the potential of e-pharmacy, especially in improving the access for people in remote areas, those patients with mobility challenges, and those needing regular refills. Online platforms are poised to make medicine access more convenient, efficient, and patient-centered by reducing travel, long queues, or frequenting facilities.
Participants simultaneously considered the risks posed by unregulated online pharmaceutical activity: from the selling of prescription-only medicines without proper authorization, the actual circulation of counterfeit or substandard products, to misleading or poor patient advice, and vulnerabilities related to fraud, cybercrime, and data privacy breaches. Many online platforms operate across borders, making the challenge of enforcement even more complex.
Throughout the workshop, regulators reiterated that their capacity must be enhanced as digital pharmaceutical markets continue to grow. Kenya’s e-pharmacy market has seen rapid growth, but regulatory institutions still face challenges such as limited digital skills, ambiguous legal frameworks, and evolving business models that run at a faster pace than traditional oversight mechanisms. Participants discussed the need for developing pragmatic, contextually appropriate solutions that protect patients and allow responsible innovation.
Working sessions throughout the three-day event focused on co-creation, where participants were invited to identify actionable strategies that could support a more robust regulatory environment. Suggestions ranged from clearer standards for online medicine vendors to improved monitoring tools, public awareness efforts regarding safe online purchasing, and stronger collaboration across agencies and sectors.
As the workshop ended, participants expressed optimism that the insights generated would help shape Kenya’s next steps toward a safer and more coherent digital pharmaceutical system. The conversations underlined a shared vision: with the right regulatory frameworks and partnerships, e-pharmacy can expand access and protect patients while contributing to a stronger and more equitable health system.
