The Lagos State Government has sealed 38 illegal medicine stores in the Ajegunle and Apapa areas of the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Jide Idris, who disclosed this said that the exercise was necessary to rid the state of illegal drugs stores.
Stressing the dangers associated with the sale of fake, substandard and expired drugs by unauthorised drug outlets, Idris vowed to carry out periodic clamp-downs on illegal peddlers, “to sanitise the drug distribution system in Lagos”.
The Health Commissioner also condemned the common practice of selling drugs at motor parks and market places, saying that pharmaceutical law forbade such, including usage of kiosks and containers as drug stores.
He however advised residents interested in selling medicine to consult with the Pharmaceutical Inspectorate Unit of the Ministry of Health, the authorising body for Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors Licence (PPMVL), for proper guidance.
In addition, Idris urged persons and organisations interested in importation, distribution and sale of drugs to license their premises through the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria (PCN).
It should be noted that the recent raid was a joint exercise involving the Ministry of Health, the PCN, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Pharmaceutical Inspectors Committee (PIC) and the police.
