By Kemo Cham
The Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone (PBSL) has called on the media to desist from publishing or airing advertisement of pharmaceutical products without its authorization.
The warning issued recently came through a statement from the Independent Media Commission (IMC), which said that the PBSL raised the concern amidst proliferation of pharmaceutical products and unchecked advertisement by both the print and electronic media.
“This, according to the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone, the National Medicines Regulatory Agency, is in contravention of Section 35 (3) of the Pharmacy and Drugs Act 2001 which provides that “No person shall in anyway advertise any drug, dressing or appliances, except with approval of the Board,” a statement from the IMC, which regulates the media in the country, said.
“Media institutions are advised to desist with immediate effect from advertising pharmaceuticals and related products without approval by the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone,” it added.
The IMC also announced plans to revamp its long moribund advertising committee which will vet advertisement before they are aired or published.
The Pharmacy Board is mandated to certify and monitor the operations of all pharmacies and drugstores in the country. This amounts to over 3,000 entities.
The regulatory body has however failed to effectively execute its mandate due largely to lack of resources, both human and logistics. This has led to the proliferation of drug retailing outlets with huge quantities of uncertified and counterfeit products, putting public safety in jeopardy.
Improper storage of many of these pharmaceutical products has led to the reduction of their efficacy, thereby increasing their risk of complication on the consumer. Drugs, regardless of whether they are prescription or not, are sold over the counter without check.
This lack of monitoring and enforcement capacity of the Board has created an open field for quack doctors who have basically replaced trained personnel, particularly in poor neighborhoods.
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