The Lagos State Government has closed 34 pharmacies in the state due to regulatory violations, including the sale of outdated medications.
According to a statement released on Friday, the impacted businesses are located in the Shomolu, Bariga, Gbagada, and Ifako sections of the Shomolu and Kosofe Local Government Areas, as well as Bale and Savage streets in the state’s Orile Iganmu Local Council Development Area.
Prof. Akin Abayomi, the Commissioner for Health, was quoted as saying this after reviewing the report of the Lagos State Taskforce on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs, and Unwholesome Processed Food’s recent monitoring, inspection, and enforcement exercises, that the affected outlets were closed for violating regulations governing the sale of medicines in the state.
“The sealing of the affected medicine outlets was in accordance with the provisions of Section C34 of the Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Miscellaneous Provision Act of 1999,” he noted.
The affected businesses were also sealed for offenses such as “wrong drug storage conditions,” “unskilled personnel handling and dispensing drugs,” “selling of drugs by unlawful shop owners,” “stocking of expired pharmaceuticals,” and “sale in market locations,” according to Abayomi.
Abayomi said patent medicine vendors are only allowed to offer drug items in their original and approved pack size as created by the manufacturing businesses, while stressing that the selling of medicines is only allowed in registered and regulated outlets.
He went on to say that the law forbids patent medicine merchants and licensed pharmaceutical establishments from operating outside of their competence.
According to him, the recent operation was a follow-up to the rejigged enforcement exercise by the taskforce to sanitize the drug distribution chain in Lagos State.
“The Task Force enforcement activities in Shomolu and Bariga LGA was a follow up to previous enforcement exercise conducted in the areas in October which is aimed at compliance
“The revisit revealed a significant success in the war against fake drugs and illegal drug shop in lagos as 16 shops earlier sealed were met evacuated and are no longer involved in the illegal sale of drugs.
“The November enforcement exercise at Savage and Bale streets in Orile-Iganmu LCDA was to prevent clustering of drug outlets which are a haven for fake drugs. It is worthy to mention that 13 out of 14 outlets visited were sealed, one of the sealed premises was found to be stocking expired drugs which are hazardous to the health of the State Citizenry,” he explained.
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