In a bid to rid Ondo State of counterfeit and fake drugs, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, together with a team of task force, as well as officials of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has commenced the monitoring of pharmaceutical stores with a new innovative machine, Truscan, capable of detecting fake and counterfeit drugs on the spot.

 

The team which visited several pharmaceutical stores, including the Pharmacy Department of the state’s specialist hospital; Mak Owoeye and Westfast Pharmaceuticals, Tessy Patent Medicine Store, among others, made some successes in detecting pharmacies with counterfeit and fake drugs.

 

The first port of call for the Task Force was the State’s specialist hospital where the team certified that all drugs dispensed were original and certified by relevantregulatory agencies.

 

The team then moved to Mak Owoeye and Wel‎fast Pharmacies along Hospital Road, where the drugs passed the Truscan test.

 

 

However, at Tesy Patent Medicine Store, also along Hospital Road, the team was forced to seal up the shop because some of the drugsfailed the Truscan test, in addition to seeing injectibleswithout authorisation.

 

It would be recalled that the state government, worried by the menace of fake and counterfeit drugs, last year, inaugurated the Task Force, as well as procured the Truscan machines for the purpose of making the state free from fake and counterfeit drugs.

 

Speaking after the exercise, Dr.Adeyanju said government has done so much in providing qualitativehealthcare for the people viz-a-viz programmes, policies, facilities and manpower, and would not allow this to be undermined by circulation of fake drugs.

 

Adeyanju said the raid on pharmaceutical ‎stores was therefore to get rid of the fake and adulterated drugs as well as end all sharp practices by the sellers.

 

He assured merchants of fake drugs that it won't be business as usual as the Task Force would move round the State and anyone found culpable would face the wrath of the law.

 

Adeyanju was corroborated by the State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Mr WoleOjo, who noted that in addition to having their shops sealed up, ownerswould be sanctioned in line with extant laws.  

 

He thanked the State Government for its support, promising that NAFDAC would always live up

to expectations.

 

Also on the Task Force team were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. TayeOni, ‎and representatives of security agencies.

 

By Martins Ifijeh

This Day