Pharmacists raise alarm over 5 million unregistered drug outlets in Nigeria

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has raised fresh concerns about the existence of nearly five million unregistered drug-selling outfits across the country, warning that the unchecked proliferation of these vendors poses a severe threat to public health.

Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma, the national chairman of ACPN, issued the warning in a press statement ahead of the association’s 44th Annual International Conference, scheduled to hold in Awka, Anambra State, from July 22 to 27. Themed “Technology Integration, Personalised Care: The Future of Community Pharmacy Practice,” the event will bring together over 3,000 delegates from across Nigeria and abroad to explore the future of pharmacy in an increasingly digital healthcare ecosystem.

According to Igwekamma, Nigeria is witnessing a dangerous resurgence in the circulation of fake and substandard medicines, driven in part by the operations of unregulated drug sellers in both urban centres and remote villages. These outfits, he said, operate largely outside the oversight of regulatory agencies and remain a major conduit for counterfeit drugs and unwholesome products.

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“Our usually reliable and dependable research-based efforts indicate that we are back to the days of over 50% of drugs in circulation being fake and substandard as against official figures hovering between 13% and 15%”, he said.

He cited historical studies conducted by the Federal Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) as far back as 1988, which found that a third of drugs in circulation were fake, 7% of which proved fatal. Further reviews in 1998 exposed that nearly 50% of fake drugs came from open drug markets, while 33% were traced to Patent Medicine Vendors. Fatalities from fake drugs reached nearly 13%, with another 10.8% resulting in treatment failure.

Despite regulatory strides in the early 2000s, particularly under the leadership of the late Dora Akunyili at NAFDAC, Igwekamma lamented a reversal in progress over the past five years.

He attributed the resurgence of counterfeit drugs to the dormancy of the Federal and State Task Forces charged with monitoring the drug distribution chain, and the inadequate enforcement of existing laws.

“Despite some modest efforts by NAFDAC, the influx of fake drugs and unwholesome food and drinks has surged very significantly in the last five years when the Federal Task Force and the equivalent State Task Forces have almost become moribund with negligible regulatory output.”

“The NASS must, as a matter of urgency, amend the existing Fake Drug and Unwholesome Food Act to become a much more potent Act of parliament”, he said.

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He also warned about a growing wave of fake drinks entering the Nigerian market, which he described as “a gargantuan tens-of-billion-naira business championed by modern-day merchants of death.”

The ACPN conference is expected to serve as a platform to build momentum around such reforms and to galvanise support for a modern, regulated pharmaceutical landscape.

One of the flagship events at the conference will be a public “Walk Against Fake Medicines,” designed to raise awareness about the dangers of counterfeit drugs and to press for better enforcement of drug safety laws. Other highlights will include keynote addresses from global health leaders, panels on telepharmacy, AI in patient care, electronic health records, pharmaceutical entrepreneurship, and an exhibition of health tech innovations.

“In conclusion, I call on all community pharmacists, healthcare professionals, industry leaders, and development partners to join us at this epoch-making event. Let us unite our efforts to shape a more resilient, innovative, and people-centred future for pharmacy practice in Nigeria”, he urged.