The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria Bill into law without delay.

 

It said this would bring about a new agenda of productivity, professionalism, self-sufficiency in local production and regulatory excellence in the pharmaceutical sector.

 

In a statement signed by the association’s National Chairman, Mr Samuel Adekola, and the National Secretary, Mrs Abosede Idowu, on Friday, the ACPN listed the gains inherent in the bill, saying it was high time the bill was signed into law.

 

The statement partly read, “For emphasis, this bill should be assented to for the reflected reasons.

 

“The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) Bill 2017 is very consistent with similar laws in the Commonwealth League of Nations, where regulatory laws and statutes have become very sacred in keeping pace with the norms and ethos of public health.

 

“It is a statement of fact that many less endowed African nations have today polished their pharmacy laws to meet global best practices such that the terminal consequences of poor statutes, weak enforcement, and so on, which engenders easy access to drugs to promote the vicious cycle of drug abuse and misuse, falsified drug syndrome etc are gradually being eliminated in these climes. This is the same purpose the new Pharmacy Council Bill is intended to achieve.