The Lagos State Taskforce on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods has shut 20 Pharmacies and Patent Medicine stores at Somolu, Bariga and Oworonshoki.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who disclosed this on Thursday after reviewing the report of the recent monitoring, inspection and enforcement exercises carried out by the Taskforce, explained that the affected pharmacies and patent medicine stores were shut for contravening regulations guiding the operations of pharmacies and patent medicine stores.
“The sealing of the affected pharmacies and patent medicine stores was in accordance with the provisions of Section C34 of the Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Miscellaneous Provision Act of 1999”, he stated.
Abayomi explained further that the affected pharmacies and patent medicine shops were sealed for offences including inappropriate storage of drugs, absence of licenced pharmacists during business hours, selling of drugs not on the approved list and the display of expired drugs for sale.
While noting that only licensed patent medicine vendors are authorised to sell products in their original and approved pack size as produced by the manufacturing companies, he maintained that the law prohibits wholesale of drugs by patent medicine vendors and also prohibits wholesalers from operating beyond their scope.
The Commissioner maintained that the recent operation was in continuation of the war against fake drugs and illegal drug shops in Lagos, promising that the activities of the State Task Force on Fake Drugs will be intensified until stakeholders in the pharmaceutical value chain appreciate the need to adhere strictly to the provisions of the law.
Speaking in the same vein, Director of Pharmaceutical Services in the Ministry, Mrs. Oyebisi Omolambe, said that the State Government will not relent in its efforts to stop the inherent dangers associated with the operations from unlicensed pharmaceutical outlets and drug shops.
She added that the Task Force, through the Pharmaceutical Inspectorate Unit (PIU) of the Pharmaceutical Services Directorate, has been re-energised to intensify the ongoing war against fake, expired and substandard drugs being peddled by unlicensed and illegal premises.
“This closure is thus part of the government’s renewed efforts to sanitise the drug distribution system and curb proliferation of fake drugs in the State”, she said.
The enforcement and compliance raid was carried out in collaboration with the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Federal Taskforce on fake drugs and the Police Officers from the Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) of Lagos Police Command.
