MCAZ Moves to Make Medicine Price Transparency Mandatory for Pharmacies

MCAZ plans to make medicine price and stock disclosure mandatory for pharmacies through a new national price transparency platform (image source)

The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) is moving to tighten regulation of the pharmaceutical retail sector by making the disclosure of medicine stock levels and prices a mandatory condition for pharmacy licensure.

The move follows MCAZ’s participation in the newly launched National Medicines Availability and Price Transparency Platform (MAP-TP), also known as the Medicine Price Lookup, which is designed to improve access to affordable medicines and reduce price opacity across the market. In Circular 35 of 2025, the authority said participation in the platform could soon shift from voluntary to compulsory, following a 90-day pilot phase. A further notice will be issued to confirm whether mandatory compliance will be enforced “in the public interest”.

MCAZ warned that failure to comply could have serious regulatory consequences. “This mandatory shift will be enforced under sections 57(5) and 58(4) of the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act,” the authority said, noting that non-compliance could result in the suspension or cancellation of a pharmacy’s operating licence.

The platform seeks to address a long-standing challenge in Zimbabwe’s healthcare system, where patients are often forced to visit multiple pharmacies at significant personal cost in search of available and affordable medicines. By providing real-time information on stock availability and prices, MCAZ aims to enhance efficiency, transparency and consumer protection. Licensed pharmacies have been given 14 days from the date of the circular to submit Expressions of Interest to participate in the pilot phase, which will test the system’s technical performance, data accuracy and operational impact.

Under the proposed framework, pharmacies will be required to ensure that all information submitted to the platform accurately reflects real-time stock levels and lawful pricing. Medicines that are out of stock must be promptly removed from listings, while only products with valid MCAZ registration numbers may be displayed. The authority also reserves the right to audit submissions to guard against false or misleading information, emphasising that the platform is a public service information system rather than an advertising tool.

MCAZ director-general Richard Rukwata described the initiative as a decisive step towards technology-driven regulation of the pharmaceutical sector and urged industry players to prepare for the transition from pilot phase to national rollout. If fully implemented, the system would mark a significant shift in health sector oversight, directly linking pharmacy licensure to medicine price transparency and availability.