Pharmaceutical manufacturers and importers have received a directive to cease the supply of medical products to patent medicine dealers operating in Niger Street and Sabon Gari Market, Kano State.
News About Nigeria gathered that this decision follows a recent judgement by the Federal High Court on Friday, which ordered the immediate relocation of medicine merchants from Sabon Gari Market to the Coordinated Wholesale Centre in Dangwauro, Kano State.
The judgement came after the Nigerian Association of Patent Proprietary Medicine Dealers filed a lawsuit in court to challenge their forced removal from their registered business location in Sabon Gari.
Judge Simon Amobeda, however, decided that the lawsuit lacked merit and that the plaintiffs didn’t have legal standing to contest the relocation order issued by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), the organisation that oversees their operation.
In response to the court order, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and PCN released a joint statement explaining the reasoning for the decision.
The primary goal is to prevent the distribution of substandard and falsified medicines in the state.
The statement warned pharmaceutical manufacturers, importers, medical representatives, and all distributors to cease supplying pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other regulated pharmaceutical products to facilities and companies in Niger Street, Sabon Gari Market, or any location outside the Coordinated Wholesale Centre in Dangwauro, Kano.
Failure to comply with the directive could result in the loss of the site licence and product licence for the erring company.
This move by the regulatory bodies aims to enhance the quality and safety of medical products distributed within Kano State, ensuring that medicines meet the required standards and preventing the circulation of substandard and potentially harmful products.
