Lagos shuts 24 drug stores

Lagos State government has shut down 24 pharmaceutical and patent medicine shops, including those in unlicensed premises at Abule Egba, Alagbado, Kola, Meiran, Ekoro and Oko-Oba in Ifako Ijaiye and Alimosho councils of the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, who disclosed this at the weekend, while reviewing the report of the enforcement exercise, said the raid was carried out last Wednesday, by the Taskforce on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods, for offences bordering on illegal operation and operating beyond scope of practice.

He explained that the affected shops were sealed for offences such as operating without licence, engaging unqualified personnel to dispensing drugs, operating beyond scope through sale of ethical products, displaying and storing drugs in improper environments, which compromises the potency of the drugs thereby rendering them ineffective.

The commissioner said the clampdown was in accordance with the provisions of Section C34 of the Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Provision Act of 1999.

According to him, the enforcement, which is part of the mandates of the Pharmaceutical Inspectorate Unit (PIU) of the Ministry of Health, is in line with the state government’s drive to stop unqualified personnel from dealing with drugs. Abayomi averred that government would continue to insist on suitable environment for medicare for the promotion and maintenance of good health for citizens.

Some of the premises visited engaged in illegal clinical practices such as patient admission and setting of intravenous infusions, which is unacceptable, he added.

The commissioner vowed that the state would do everrything necessary to enforce the law and sanction errant operators.Director Pharmaceutical Services in the ministry, Dr. Moyosore Adejumo, said government would not relent in its efforts to stop the dangers associated with the operation of unlicensed pharmaceutical outlets and drug shops.She added that the task force had been re-energised to intensify the on-going war against fake, expired and substandard drug peddled by unlicensed and illegal premises.

The raid was carried out in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and 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 Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) of Lagos Police Command.