Lagos State government through its Taskforce on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs, and Unwholesome Processed Foods, has sealed 20 illegal drug shops located in Shomolu, Bariga, and Oworonshoki areas of the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who revealed this yesterday after reviewing the report of the recent monitoring, inspection, and enforcement exercises carried out by the task force, explained that the affected pharmacies and patent medicine stores were shut for contravening regulations guiding the operations of pharmacies and patent medicine stores, including indulging in illegal practices and failing to comply with the regulatory standard.
“The sealing of the affected pharmacies and patent medicine stores as per the provisions of Section C34 of the Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Miscellaneous Provision Act of 1999”, he noted. Abayomi said that the affected pharmacies and patent medicine shops were sealed for offenses including inappropriate storage conditions of drugs, absence of licensed 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 entitled to sell drug products in their original and approved pack size as produced by the manufacturing companies, he stated that the law forbids wholesaling of drugs by patent medicine vendors and also prohibits wholesalers from operating beyond their scope.
Ada Peter
