By
Philip Tengzu, GNA
Wa(UWR), Jan. 29,
GNA – The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has trained Over The Counter Medicine
Sellers (OTCMS) in the Upper West Region on Pharmacovigilance and Patients
Safety to ensure optimum public safety.
The participants
were tasked to report drug related challenges to the appropriate quarters.
Drug related
problems were listed as inefficacy of medicinal products, adverse drug
reactions and other household chemicals that could harm patients.
Speaking at a
meeting in Wa, Mr Albert Ankomah, the Upper West Regional Director of the FDA,
said the Authority had also trained health staff and pharmacists on
Pharmacovigilance.
The World Health
Organisation defines Pharmacovigilance as the science and activities related to
the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or
any other drug related problems.
Mr Ankomah explained
that reporting those issues would enable the authorities and manufacturers of
the products to take the necessary actions including withdrawal of the product
from the market, reformulation of the product or relabelling it.
He noted that the
FDA was also working to ensure that all adverse drug reactions were reported
for public safety.
He encouraged the
public to report any untoward adverse drug reactions to the pharmacies,
institutional contact persons and OTCMS for onward report to the FDA.
On his part, Mr
Lateef Agyei-Wiredu, the Upper West Regional Manager of the Pharmacy Council,
noted that some individuals applied for OTC certificates but ended up providing
services outside the jurisdiction of their mandate.
He described the act
as illegal and that perpetrators of the act would be made to face the law when
caught.
He also said it was
illegal for the OTC operators to work without a valid license and stocking of
shop with class “A” and “B” medicines such as penicillin and amoxicillin.
Other offences cited
included illegal relocation of business or operating with another person’s
license and poor physical structures.
He warned that any
person found culpable of those offences would be punished according to the law.
Mr Adam Abdul
Rahaman, the Upper West Regional Secretary of the OTC Medicine Sellers
Association, commended the Pharmacy Council and FDA for the training.
Similar meetings had
also been held in Tumu, Nandom and Jirapa for operators.
GNA