Posted on: Fri 21-02-2025

Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has called on the National Assembly to urgently amend the existing Fake Drug and Unwholesome Food Act to strengthen its provisions and ensure stricter enforcement, including the death penalty.

They made the call at a press conference held yesterday at the PSN secretariat where they emphasised the need for a more potent legislative framework to combat the growing threat of counterfeit drugs, which had continued to jeopardise public health in Nigeria.

The PSN President, Ayuba Tanko, during the press conference, highlighted the pressing issue of unregistered drug outlets across the country, pointing out that almost five million unregulated drug-selling outfits operate in both rural and urban centres.

He called for greater regulatory collaboration to address the dangerous proliferation of fake drugs and the emerging fake drink industry, which he described as a “gargantuan tens of billions range business.”

Tanko expressed support for the recent regulatory actions taken by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in tackling fake drug markets in the South East and South West regions.

He stressed that the full implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG) was crucial to ensuring the relocation of genuine drug market players to the Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWC), revealing that while the CWC in Kano State was operational, those in Lagos, Anambra, and Abia States were yet to take off due to slow construction.

He further stressed the need for harsher penalties for counterfeit drug dealers, including substantial fines and even life sentences or death penalties, to deter the illicit trade.

According to Tanko, those involved in the fake drug business are “de facto murderers” because their actions endanger lives.

TANKO also revealed at the press conference, held in Lagos, that a research-based effort by the PSN indicates that over 50 per cent of drugs in circulation are fake and substandard, contrary to the official figures, which hover between 13 and 15 per cent.

He emphasised that the issue of counterfeit drugs in the country had reached critical levels, posing significant health risks to Nigerians.

The PSN president traced the history of Nigeria’s battle against fake drugs, noting that as far back as 1988, the Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), had identified the prevalence of fake drugs in the country.

He referenced early findings that revealed that 33 per cent of drugs in circulation were fake, with seven per cent of them leading to fatalities.

He stressed that the resurgence of counterfeit drugs in Nigeria was compounded by the growing fake drink industry, which has become a multi-billion-dollar business and pointed out that the current figures implied that Nigerians were once again at risk of consuming substandard and dangerous drugs, leading to increased fatalities, therapeutic failures, and long-term health consequences.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

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