The Confederation of Pharmacists’ Unions of Morocco has announced its full involvement in a national campaign to fight against the sale of drugs outside pharmacies.
Indeed, the profession fears in particular for public health with regard to the active ingredients contained in the said drugs which, consumed without support and without advice, can have harmful consequences for health. Also and in order to preserve the country’s health security and the exemplary image of the pharmaceutical sector in the Kingdom, given the dispensing of drugs outside judicial institutions in certain regions, the Confederation in a press release, called on all businesses who allow themselves these legal transgressions to withdraw from these acts criminalized by law.
The Confederation has indicated that it is a civil party in the case of “Tamanar (Essaouira region) where drugs were marketed illegally and outside pharmacies outside its legal scope, which is considered a flagrant violation of Law 04-17 as a drug and pharmacy code, the statement explains.
The document further points out that this occurs as an interaction of the authorities with the previous periodical issued by the Public Ministry to combat and prohibit the illegal sale and marketing of drugs and non-medicinal pharmaceutical products. What she considers as impersonation of the profession of pharmacist which is a crime punishable by Moroccan law. Indeed, some malevolent individuals taking advantage of “medical deserts” so to speak, and particularly in rural areas, devote themselves lucratively to this activity by usurping professionals.
In addition, the Confederation of Syndicates of Pharmacists of Morocco, thanked the services of the Royal Gendarmerie in “Tamanar” and the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Essaouira and praised their responsiveness and their professionalism on this file which threatens the stability of the pharmacy and the health of the citizens. She also indicated that the profession of pharmacist in Morocco can only be practiced under conditions, after having received the authorizations of the competent authorities according to the laws in force in the Kingdom. The Confederation of Moroccan Unions of Pharmacists stressed the importance of respecting legal ethics.
In this regard, Mohamed Hbabi, President of the Confederation of Pharmacists’ Unions of Morocco, told MoroccoLatestNews that “the authorities arrested the owner of the trade store who was selling drugs illegally. This calls into question his business activities which presented a danger to citizens due to the lack of respect for storage conditions”.
The President pointed out that “drugs have specific characteristics that only doctors and pharmacists know about”. Hbabi added in his statement that “The legislator has defined the legal path for the sale of drugs in a three-step process. Drugs are marketed from the factory to the distributor and from the latter to the pharmacist, or directly from the factory to the pharmacist”.
“Beyond that, practicing self-medication outside pharmacies is an illegal sale of drugs outside specific legislative channels, and therefore, the drug is considered counterfeit according to national laws. Which entails the prosecution of the person concerned in accordance with criminal law”, concludes our interlocutor.