The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) announced on Wednesday in Abuja that it has commenced the licensing of individuals and facilities involved in the sale of medicines on social media and other online platforms.
The Registrar and CEO of the council, Mr Ibrahim Ahmed, acknowledged that the trend gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic and had continued since.
He assured the public that the council was actively regulating the space.
According to him, the PCN Establishment Act 2022 anticipated the need to regulate electronic pharmacy practices and online medicine sales.
“I can tell you, we have commenced the licensing of facilities involved in the sale of medicines,” he said.
Ahmed further explained that enforcement mechanisms had also been set up, noting the unique challenges posed by borderless digital platforms.
“Many of the people selling medicines online do not have physical locations, and they are not bounded by borders.
“We recognised that this is a global issue, and for enforcement, we had to engage Interpol.
“Interpol has the capacity to bring down any website in 194 countries,” he added.
He revealed that the council had already successfully taken down one such online platform in collaboration with Interpol.
He emphasised the importance of IT expertise in inspecting those facilities.
“Often, what you see on the front end of a website may differ from the back end.
“That’s why we involve IT experts during inspections to ensure compliance,” he said.
He stressed that the backend of the platform must be thoroughly examined and supervised by a pharmacist before a license is granted.
Also speaking at the event, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, confirmed that NAFDAC aligned with the PCN’s efforts.
She noted that her agency began licensing online drug vendors two years ago.
“About a year and a half ago, we received intelligence about a falsified anti-cancer drug being sold online.
“We traced it to the southern part of the country and made an arrest, thanks to our intelligence efforts,” Adeyeye said.
She added that a training session for NAFDAC staff was scheduled for September to introduce new technology that would aid in tracking and tracing internet-based drug sales.
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