BLANCHIED AT THE HEALTH MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE: Softcare warns and takes action against its critics

But who is targeting Softcare? The question is not without merit in view of the media lynching that has befallen the company just after the press conference of Mr. Ibrahima Sy, Minister of Health and Public Hygiene on March 5th.

Despite the technical and scientific evidence brandished by the minister and completely exonerating the company Softcare, the lynching and initiatives aimed at challenging the conclusions of the investigation continue to fuel the public sphere.

However, the investigation unequivocally dismantles the flimsy arguments that have fueled the controversy until now. Indeed, at a press conference on Thursday, March 5, 2026, Mr. Ibrahima Sy, Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, revealed to the public the conclusions of the investigation reports on the Softcare case. His statement dispels all the misinformation and confirms, during his press conference, that the company's products are completely safe and can be used with complete confidence. "Overall, the raw materials used and their composition do not contain any substances harmful or dangerous to the health of users," the Minister of Health emphasized in his opening statement, adding that "These physical raw materials are also found in several other commonly used products."

The Minister of Health deemed the investigators' conclusion "unambiguous." He added that "no scientific evidence demonstrates the actual use of expired raw materials in currently marketed products, no materiovigilance signal, no health alert, and no epidemiological data establish a health risk for users."

Upon arrival, Ibrahima Sy continued, “independent analyses confirm that the tested products comply with international standards.” These analyses, conducted by the independent German laboratory GALAB, attested to the conformity of a sample of tested products to international standards, particularly regarding the absence of environmental contaminants.

The investigators then turned their attention to the inspections conducted by the ARP. “Inconsistencies in the inspection reports and a lack of rigor in the execution of the inspections” were identified by the investigators. Specifically, they noted “a failure to identify and trace expired raw materials, the absence of samples being taken for analysis, the failure to seal the products in question, etc.”

These shortcomings lead the ad hoc committee to conclude that the “decision to withdraw the finished products (baby diapers and sanitary napkins) from the market is not based on material evidence of the use of expired raw materials” because it was not carried out on the finished products, in violation of the provisions of Decree No. 2023-2420 of December 27, 2023, which sets out the conditions for implementing market surveillance of medicines.

Moreover, the decision to withdraw Softcare products “would be disproportionate given that the raw material in question is not used in the production of baby diapers and sanitary napkins”.

Immediately after Minister Sy's statement, Softcare acknowledged the results of the investigation in a press release.

In fact, and this is confirmed by the results of the investigation, the products sold on the market have undergone testing by several leading international third-party laboratories, including SGS and GALAB. This fact places the company's products in full compliance with the requirements of applicable regulations in Senegal, current international standards, and European Union product safety standards.

The unprecedented aspect of this case is that Softcare can claim to 'have exclusivity of the product in Senegal, having passed the joint investigation conducted by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Industry and Trade'.

The ad hoc committee included a parliamentarian, representatives from the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene including Professor Yérim Mbagnick DIOP, a pharmacist specializing in analytical chemistry and bromatology, coordinator of the management unit for the project to revive the local pharmaceutical industry, former director of Pharmacy and Medicines, coordinator of the committee, Professor Mamadou FALL, pharmacist, professor of toxicology, head of the Poison Control Center and Dr. Mor DIAGNE, pharmacist, technical advisor to the Minister of Health and Public Hygiene in charge of pharmaceutical affairs. Representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Trade were part of the committee.

Faced with all this, Softcare, which has so far played the card of respecting procedures, "solemnly warns of its determination to take legal action against the denigration, the unfounded accusations and the campaigns to sabotage the marketing of its products."

Moreover, the company has begun to take legal action against individuals and organizations that have recently made false accusations against it.