Abstract: Background: Pharmaceuticals are critical for the health and well-being of populations. However, they can be poisons, and drug disasters such as that of thalidomide and other less dramatic cases of drug injury, constantly remind us of the imperative of testing and control of medicines. Sadly, in Africa and Nigeria in particular, pharmaceutical regulation is severely constrained by limited national capacities to undertake core regulatory roles. Citizens have continued to be exposed to potentially harmful medicines, sub-standard and counterfeit products and irrational prescription of pharmaceuticals. This study seeks to deepen the understanding of how pharmaceuticals are regulated, what regulatory constraints there are, and proffer policy solutions to improve regulatory capacity and performance in Nigeria.....
Keywords: Retail pharmacy outlets; Regulation; Challenges; Opportunities; Public Health; Policy; Nigeria
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