The House of Representatives has called on key health and regulatory bodies to intensify their crackdown on online marketers of drug products.
The agencies include the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Development, National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Pharmacist Council of Nigeria (PCN), and Consumer Protection Council.
The House equally urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Development to direct the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to commence an instant and speedy registration and licensing of all online healthcare service providers in the country.
The ministry will also officially monitor all online marketplaces to ensure that everyone selling medicines on their platforms is fully registered.
The House further urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Development to direct that all internet-based platforms should bear names and addresses and shall be visible online; shall operate in line with global best practices and with relevant regulations in the telecommunication industry.
The House also called for synergy and collaboration with agencies such as NAFDAC, MDCN, NDLEA, and NCC, among others, to ensure the successful hosting and running of online pharmacy and healthcare practice platforms in Nigeria.
The resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion titled “Need to Checkmate the Activities of Fraudulent Internet-Based Pharmaceutical Service Providers to Protect Consumers in Nigeria,” moved by Mr. Chukwugozie Nwachukwu.
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Mr Nwachukwu, in leading the debate on the motion, said the House notes that “in the exercise of the powers conferred by sections 1, 13, 14, 21, and 24 of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria Act 2004, Online Pharmacy Regulations 2021, Federal Republic of Nigeria Extraordinary Official Gazette No. 118 Vol.108 and regulations made thereunder, the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria shall register and license all internet-based pharmaceutical service providers in the country.
“Also notes that unsuspecting Nigerians buy and use fake drugs from untraceable online marketing drug companies with no fixed addresses or locations, as a result of which countless lives are being lost and more inflicted with varying degrees of internal and external health injuries.
“Further notes that counterfeit products are often produced using substandard and poor materials and marketed online, which can lead to health and safety risks for Nigerian consumers, as they may contain toxic doses of dangerous ingredients and can cause disease progression, drug resistance, and the result is
usually death.
“Aware that online drug prescriptions, sales, and dispensing are increasing at an alarming rate in Nigeria, which, if not fully checked and regulated, will lead to an online supply chain that can have illicit and highly stimulant drug contents that will pose potential risks of insecurity and moral decadence among the youths, which is a major factor of numerous social menaces in the country
“Cognizant of the need to know the effort put in place by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) in the registration and licensing of all internet-based pharmaceutical service providers in the country from January 2022 to date as captured in its Communique issued at the end of a One Day Stakeholders Engagement on Online Pharmacy Regulations 2021, organized in collaboration with the National Association of Industrial Pharmacists (NAIP) held at Lagos Zonal Office, on December 9th, 2021;
“Also cognizant of the need for the Government and other relevant stakeholders, to step up action by taking proactive measures, including keeping and making public databases of the addresses and locations of online drugs marketers including endorsements on all products by qualified medical doctors and pharmacists in order to equip consumers with enough evidence to seek legal redress respectively for injuries, damages or costs incurred in the process of patronizing the products” the motion concluded.
In adopting the motion, the House mandated the Committee on NAFDAC to ensure compliance.