Lagos State Government’s task force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods, has shut 19 medicine centres around Igando-Ikotun in Alimosho Local Government Area for non-compliance with regulatory standards.
The Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, explained that the affected premises were sealed for various offences including the display of drugs for sale in unregistered and unlicensed shops; inappropriate storage conditions of drugs; handling and dispensing drugs by unskilled persons and the sales of drugs outside the approved scope.
While noting that the task force is propagating the war against fake drugs and illegal sales outlets, Abayomi noted that monitoring and enforcement activities have been rejigged to ensure that the provisions of the law guiding the operation of pharmacies and patent medicine shops are observed to safeguard the health of the citizenry.
Speaking in the same vein, the Director of Pharmaceutical Services in the Ministry, Pharmacist Oyebisi Omolambe, said the State Government will not relent in its efforts to stop the inherent dangers associated with the operations of unlicensed pharmaceutical outlets and drug shops.
“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”, Omolambe said.
The enforcement and compliance raid by the State Taskforce on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods 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), the Legal Unit of the Ministry of Health and the Police Officers from Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) of Lagos Police Command.
