Members of the Ondo State Task Force against Counterfeit and Substandard Drugs have launched actions against the sale and consumption of fake and counterfeit drugs in the State.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, who led the team to some pharmacies and patent medicine stores in Akure, the State Capital, said the government was out to ensure that all the drugs sold in the state were of standard quality.
The team visited pharmacies and patent medicine stores in the city with a Truscan Machine to test the quality and originality of the drugs being sold to the members of the public.
The team visited the pharmacy of the State Specialist Hospital, where all the drugs tested passed, indicating they were of standard quality.
The test was carried out on antimalarial, antibiotics and analgesics.
Dr. Adeyanju explained that the operators of pharmacies visited that had drugs that failed the test had been directed to remove the drugs from stock. According to him, further tests would be carried out on them.
He warned that any pharmacy or patent medicine store found selling illicit drugs would be arrested and their premises shut.
On his part, the State Coordinator of the National Agency for Foods Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Wole Ojo, noted that “any drug that fails the test will be mopped up and destroyed by the agency”, adding that those selling such drugs will be surcharged.
According to him, the crusade has started in Ifon, Ose Local Government Area of the State and it would be taken to all the towns and villages across the state.
One of the stores visited for inspection was shut down by NAFDAC for selling injection equipment without due authorisation.
