The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) remains the only parastatal charged with the responsibility of regulating pharmacy regulation, training, and practice across the country, the Federal Ministry of Health has said.
This was revealed by the Deputy Director, Food and Drug Services Department, Federal Ministry of Health, Beauty Okologo, in Kaduna.
Okologo debunked media reports that the Federal Government had segmented the Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) into three tiers, saying nothing like that was done.
She said: “Contrary to the statement that the Federal Government has tiered the PPMVs into three tiers, such tiering has not been done.
“The tiered classification model is a study which the council is piloting in two states of the country, exploring means to further strengthen its regulatory capacity within the confines of the law and also ensure that citizens of the country have access to medicines.
“I said at the second stakeholders’ meeting for the review of the Pharmacists Council Approved Patent Medicines List (APML) for the proposed three-tiered classification of PPMVs workshop in Abuja, that the proposed draft 7th edition of the Essential Medicines List (EML) which also contains the APML among other statutory lists is yet to be signed by the Honourable Minister of Health.
“No date has been fixed for the launching of the said policy documents as approvals need to be sought.
“The impression being projected in the media that the 7th edition of NEML and NEMLc have been approved and are to be launched in September 2019 is erroneous and should be disregarded as the documents in question are still being ventilated by all relevant stakeholders.
“Until evidence is generated from the pilot, relevant stakeholders adequately engaged, and the Federal Government approves the model and signs it into law, any other stand remains premature,” the statement said.