Pharmacists move against codeine abuse

The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has raised alarm over the rising cases of misuse of codeine containing preparations in the country.

Registrar of the council, Elijah Mohammed made the disclosure yesterday in Abuja while inaugurating a committee tagged Codeine Control Working and Other Related Matter Group.

He said safety concerns on the use and misuse of codeine containing preparations were well documented and assuming a frightening dimension in some parts of the country.

“A large number of Nigerians cutting across different geographical and social strata are already addicted to some of these medicines,” he said.

Pharmacist Elijah said the council was currently working with technical groups of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and other relevant stakeholders to address the problem.

He said the Codeine Control and Related Matters Working Group (CCRWG) was set up because the current situation required deployment of feasible strategies to bring the menace under control.

The 16 member committee headed by Prof. Oluwatoyin Odeku has four to six weeks to turn in its preliminary report.

Inaugurating the committee, Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole said it was very important to break the supply chain of the drugs.