Pharmacists Insist On Regulation Of Veterinary Drugs

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has declared that it will not change its position on regulating and controlling the sale of veterinary drugs in Nigeria.

The president of PSN, Prof Cyril Usifoh, said it had become necessary to set the record straight given the litigation involving the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) over regulating facilities engaged in the sale of veterinary medicines.

In his valedictory speech on the occasion of the 97th annual conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Usifoh referred to the judgment by Justice Nnamdi O. Dimgba in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/66/08 gives credence to PSN’s position on the issue as consistent with the PCN (Establishment) Act 2022.

He said, ‘’The attention of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has been drawn to various litigations involving the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) as regards the regulation of facilities engaged in the sale of veterinary medicines. To avoid doubt, the PSN deemed it necessary to set the record straight in line with international best practices, extant laws and regulations, policies, and judicial pronouncements.

‘’It is pertinent to remind such stakeholders and the general public of the very sound judgment issued by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/66/08. The suit was commenced by originating a summon seeking the determination of three issues and prayed for the five declarations by the court.

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The judge, in his wisdom, posited “that the distinction sought to be drawn between human drugs and animal drugs is a misguided one” by the plaintiffs.

Giving further insight into the ruling, Usifoh said, ‘The judgment stated that “if the Pharmacists Council by its existence and operations does not threaten the existence of Medical and Dental Council, how can the Veterinary Council be threatened simply because the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria insists on registration of premises where animal drugs are kept as they also insist on premises where human drugs are kept.“

The judge concluded that ‘’it is therefore clear from the above analysis the futility of the suit and why I believe it must fail.”

Usifoh emphasised that “To this end, it is appropriate to state that regulating facilities engaged in the sale of veterinary medicines by the PCN is consistent with the PCN (Establishment) Act 2022 and the laws before it, the National Drug Policy, as well as judicial pronouncements.

He listed some of the major highlights of his tenure, including the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), which, according to him, would be due for review in another five weeks. They include getting the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to write President Bola Tinubu to seek an increase in the retirement age of health workers from 60 to 65 years and consultants, including pharmacists to 70 years; payment of seven months outstanding areas on the review of CONHESS like for other civil servants since June 2023, suspension of the unlawful DRF SOP of the Federal Ministry of Health and a review of the SOP in three months and immediate cessation of the activities of the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHFRA) pending the reconstitution of its enabling committee to reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of the health team etc.

One of our landmark achievements was collaborating with industry stakeholders to draw attention to the need to step up our drive to boost local drug manufacturing. This yielded fruits vis-à-vis the now famous Executive Order of President Tinubu on the pharmaceutical sector. Today, we have successfully established a template that periodically engages the government alongside other significant interests in our profession.

Speaking on PSN-sponsored bills to the National Assembly (NASS), Usifoh stated: ‘’The PSN, in the last couple of months, sponsored three bills at NASS. These are the DRF, National Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (NPCP) and Fake Drug Act Amendment Bills. The DRF bill seeks to legitimately put drug procurement in the public pharmacy window in the hands of registered pharmacists in tandem with the law. Fortunately, we have now reached a stage where the bill has been approved for hearing and will be slated for the first hearing soon. The WCPC bill seeks to generate a homemade reservoir of expert pharmacists for Nigeria’s health system. In contrast, the Fake Drug Act amendment bill focuses on lawfully promoting collaborations between NAFDAC and PCN. For the records, that collaboration ensures that the Sabon Gari drug market in Kano was dislodged, and operators relocated for the first CWC in Nigeria under the NDDG, which was championed by the PSN in 2015.’’