‘Claim of 70% fake drugs unfounded, dangerous’

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has described as an exaggeration, a recent claim that 70 percent of drugs in circulation are fake.

It dismissed it as an “unfortunate and potentially dangerous” claim, saying it was taken to a climax on a popular radio station last week “when an impostor who claimed to be a Pharmacist corroborated the false claim in his submissions”.

The president of the association, Five states in the northeast are to enjoy a multi-million dollars intervention in Water Sanitation and Hygiene and other sectors funded by the African Development Bank.

This was revealed ýby the national coordinator of Rural Water Supply Scheme sub-sector, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Engineer John Mamza, in Bauchi. He said the intervention programme tagged “Inclusive Basic Service Delivery and Livelihood Samuel Adekola and National Secretary, Bose Idowu, in a statement yesterday, said even in the worst of times, the incidence of faking was documented as 33 percent in open markets in 1988 which rose to 49.6 percent according to a 1998 study.

According to the association, the most recognizable and acceptable studies in recent times put the incidence of faking at 17 percent which is still high compared to global average of less than 2 percent.

It said the initial submission of 70 percent was actually a mutilation of the documented figure of 17 percent. Empowerment Integrated Programme” was being implemented in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe and Taraba States.

According to him, the five-year programme is aimed at addressing the needs of about 14 million affected people including the over 2.3 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) which consist of over 80 percent women,children and youths.

He said the programme would target rural households in local government areas affected by insurgency.