The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has issued a pressing call to the national assembly, urging them to amend the Fake Drug and Unwholesome Food Act. This plea comes as a crucial step to combat the alarming rise in fake drugs and products circulating throughout the country. Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma, the national chairman of ACPN, highlighted this critical issue during a recent press conference held on Friday. The conference was convened to announce details of the association's 44th annual conference, which is themed ‘Technology Integration, Personalised Care: The Future of Community Pharmacy Practice’ and is scheduled to take place from July 22 to 27 in Awka, Anambra state.

During the press briefing, Igwekamma asserted that a concerning figure of over 50 percent of drugs in circulation within Nigeria are fake and substandard. This claim stands in stark contrast to official figures, which suggest a lower percentage, underscoring the severity of the situation from the ACPN's perspective. He voiced significant concern regarding the inadequacy of the current regulatory framework, stating it is simply not robust enough to effectively tackle the pervasive menace of fake drugs and unwholesome food products. The chairman emphasized the urgency of the matter, stating, "The NASS must, as a matter of urgency, amend the existing Fake Drug and Unwholesome Food Act to become a much more potent act of parliament."

Beyond the well-known dangers associated with fake drugs, Igwekamma also drew attention to the burgeoning issue of fake drinks, describing it as a "gargantuan tens-of-billion-naira business championed by modern-day merchants of death." To further support his claims, he referenced a study conducted by the faculty of pharmacy at the University of Lagos. This study revealed that a significant portion of fake drugs, specifically 49.6 percent, could be traced back to open drug markets, while 32.8 percent were found to be distributed through patent medicine vendors.

The ACPN chairman further lamented that despite some commendable efforts made by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the influx of fake drugs, unwholesome food, and particularly drinks has surged significantly over the past five years. This increase, he explained, is largely due to the federal task force and equivalent state task forces becoming "almost moribund with negligible regulatory output." The ACPN's ultimate objective is to safeguard the health of consumers, aiming "to save consumers of health from the almost 5 million unregistered drug-selling outfits that dot both the rural and urban centres in Nigeria."