The Senegalese parliamentary mission on the commercialization of SOFTCARE products has released its final report, criticizing the decision-making chain in the affair. The mission, led by Deputy Khady SARR, conducted 20 hearings and a field visit between December 2025 and April 2026 to investigate the controversy surrounding the withdrawal and re-marketing of SOFTCARE products. The report highlights institutional dysfunctions and a governance crisis within the Senegalese Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (ARP).
According to the report, while expired raw materials were found in SOFTCARE's warehouses, their use in the production of finished products could not be proven with certainty. The mission found that 2,260 kg of expired materials were incinerated on December 17, 2025, but analysis of stock records, analysis certificates, and non-compliance registers did not establish that these inputs were introduced into the production process. The report also reveals that WhatsApp messages, statements from the quality controller, and the whistleblower raise serious suspicions, but do not constitute irrefutable material evidence.
The parliamentary mission concludes that there is persistent scientific doubt due to the lack of independent analysis and robust traceability. The report criticizes the ARP's decision-making chain, stating that inspectors recommended maintaining the withdrawal of products until compliance was achieved, but the General Directorate validated a communication announcing their re-marketing without consolidated scientific basis. The mission denounces "hasty" management, a rupture of alignment between technical expertise and administrative decision, and a violation of the principle of parallelism of forms.
The report also highlights the failure of inter-institutional coordination, with the Ministry of Health claiming to have discovered the affair through the press, along with the public. The Ministry of Commerce and Customs were not involved upstream, leading to contradictory decisions, seizures, and restitutions that caused confusion among traders and consumers. The mission identifies technical and administrative shortcomings on the part of SOFTCARE, including stock management, traceability, and the initial absence of a responsible pharmacist.
The ARP's General Directorate is criticized for its crisis management, communication, and non-respect for internal procedures. The report formulates ten priority recommendations, including clarifying the applicable legal framework for hygiene products, strictly framing the detention and destruction of expired materials, and strengthening inspection powers. The mission also recommends digitalizing traceability systems, strengthening internal controls of industrialists, and creating an inter-institutional coordination mechanism.
The parliamentary mission emphasizes that the SOFTCARE affair should not be treated as an isolated incident, but rather as a revealer of the urgent need for modernization of the regulatory system, securitization of decisions, and restoration of citizens' trust. The Parliament intends to closely follow the implementation of these recommendations. The report's findings and recommendations aim to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The SOFTCARE affair has sparked concerns about the regulatory framework and governance in Senegal's pharmaceutical sector. The parliamentary report's recommendations aim to address these concerns and ensure a safer and more transparent regulatory environment. The implementation of these recommendations will be closely monitored by the Parliament.
Key points
- The Senegalese parliamentary mission on SOFTCARE products finds institutional dysfunctions and governance crisis within regulatory agency.
- The report criticizes the decision-making chain in the affair and highlights the failure of inter-institutional coordination.
- The parliamentary mission formulates ten priority recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.
