Korede Abdullah in Lagos
In a significant effort to promote public health and build a safer pharmaceutical ecosystem, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Akwa Ibom State branch, has successfully mopped up expired drugs worth over N460 million in the state.
This achievement was announced by Pharm. Anderson Tony on Tuesday, the Chairman of ACPN in Akwa Ibom, during a formal handover ceremony in Uyo, where the expired drugs were handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for proper documentation and disposal.
Pharm. Tony emphasized the urgency of eradicating expired drugs, describing it as a national responsibility.
He highlighted the devastating effects of expired medications, including the dangerous practice of rebranding expired drugs with counterfeit expiry dates, exposing consumers to potential harm.
“It is with immense gratitude and a sense of accomplishment that I stand before you today as we mark a significant milestone in our collective effort to rid our society of expired drugs,” Tony said.
“Until the chaotic drug distribution system in Nigeria is overhauled and unauthorized drug markets are permanently closed, the repercussions of this problem will continue to plague us.”, he added.
The ACPN Chairman revealed that the association had successfully mopped up expired drugs worth N460,864,804 for forfeiture.
He called for a coordinated effort to permanently eliminate expired drugs from communities, aiming to build a safer pharmaceutical ecosystem that protects public health and upholds professional integrity.
Tony further stressed the importance of replicating similar initiatives across all states and establishing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the proper collection, forfeiture, and destruction of expired drugs.
Pharm. Donatus Adigom, the Financial Secretary of the association, highlighted the association’s commitment to ensuring proper documentation, disposal, and destruction of expired medications.
Adigom noted that ACPN had established collection centers in all three senatorial zones of the state—Uyo, Eket, and Ikot Ekpene—to facilitate the collection of expired drugs from community pharmacies.
The event, held at the Federal Secretariat in Uyo, saw the official handover of documentation from ACPN to Mr. Naeche John, the State Coordinator of NAFDAC, who commended the association for its efforts and assured that the expired medications would be properly disposed of and destroyed.
