No fewer than 20 pharmacies and patent medicine shops have been shut down in Shomolu, Bariga, and Oworonshoki areas of Lagos, by the state task force, over alleged sale of counterfeit, fake drugs, and unwholesome processed foods.
This was disclosed in a statement by the state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in a statement on Thursday.
According to him, the medicine stores were shut for not sticking to the regulations guiding the operations of pharmacies and patent medicine stores while some of them were involved in illegal practices.
The commissioner explained in the statement that the task force swooped on the shops after a report of the recent monitoring, inspection and others.
He said, “The sealing of the affected pharmacies and patent medicine stores was in accordance with the provisions of Section C34 of the Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Miscellaneous Provision Act of 1999.”
He also maintained that the affected pharmacies and patent medicine shops were also sealed for offences including inappropriate storage conditions of drugs, absence of licenced pharmacists during business hours, selling of drugs not on the approved list and the display of expired drugs for sale.
He, however, said the state would not relent in its effort to ensure that stakeholders adhere strictly to the provisions of the law in dealing in medicines.