Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) on Wednesday in Ilorin warned patients against use of online pharmacies to buy prescribed drugs.

 

The Chairman of PSN Kwara chapter, Mr. Aliu Bakau, gave the warning during a news conference to mark the 2019 World Pharmacist Day with the theme: “Safe and Effective Medicines for all”. Celebrated annually on Sept. 25, the day was formulated by International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIB) Council in Istanbul, Turkey in 2009 to create awareness about the role of pharmacists in improving peoples’ health. 

 

Bakau, therefore, said prescription drugs must be authorised and prescribed by doctors and pharmacists before patients could buy, adding that the requirements for prescription drugs were an interface between patients and doctors and pharmacists. 

The chairman explained that “PSN is not averse to technological innovations and developments, but observed that technology has its own limitations. “Drugs are not commodities that should be sold through supermarkets, kiosks, and hawkers. There are standardised outlets for pharmaceuticals.”

 

He advised people to schedule visits with their doctors and pharmacists, adding that diseases could be managed and patients needed not to die from ailments. He advised people to always keep their drugs at the required temperature, pledging that pharmacists were ready to partner with states and Federal Government to provide safe and effective medicines for people across the country. 

 

Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Kwara Ministry of Health, Dr. Barakat Olarewaju, said that PSN, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other relevant agencies always cooperated to fight the menace of drug abuse in the country. 

 

She explained that the watchword is to reduce demand for controlled drugs and make it available to patients who have a legitimate need for them. Olarewaju said that even the pharmacists are required to sell these drugs under stringent conditions.