The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has launched the Code of Practice for Sales guidelines, charging stakeholders in the health sector to adhere strictly to it.
The Code of Practice for Sales Guidelines is a set of rules promulgated by the FDA for information, guidance and strict compliance by all on the procedure and requirements for the sale, marketing and promotion of medical products including herbal medicines, medical devices cosmetics and household chemical substances.
It also aimed at ensuring and guaranteeing the health and safety of consumers of regulated medical products in Ghana by ensuring safety, quality, efficacy and performance of such products.
The code would among other things guarantee that accurate information was always provided to healthcare professionals and the general public on the promotion of medicines in line with safety and ethical standards.
Speaking at the ceremony in Accra on Tuesday, the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu in a speech read on his behalf said the code of practice for sales guidelines had the backing of the law as stated in section 148 of the Public Health Act, 2012, Act 851.
The Act states that “this code of practice for sale shall regulate ethical practices with respect to sales, marketing and advertisement in connection with medical products including drugs herbal medicines and any other products or devices regulated by the FDA”.
The minister stated that there were sales and marketing staff who “virtually” force healthcare practitioners to prescribe medicines and other health products they had alliances with.
“This is where the FDA comes in as the custodian of this code of practice for sales. As a regulatory body with specific mandate by the public health Act 2012, Act 851, the FDA would ordinary have no business in regulating ethical practices but where these practices could potentially affect the health and safety of the general public adversely, the Ministry of Health and the FDA has high stakes in this code of practice of sales guidelines,” he stated.
Mr Agyeman-Manu said there were negative impacts on health and safety of the public which include irrational prescriptions, abuse or misuse of regulated products including over counter medications and promotion of self-medication.
According to Mr Agyeman-Manu anyone who contravenes the code would be fined 7,500 penalty units or spend 15 years in prison.
The Chief Executive Officer of FDA, Mrs Delese Mimi Darko said the FDA strongly advocated the fostering of close cooperation with various stakeholders in the health sector to ensure the safety, quality and efficacy and good performance of all medical products and also to promote the rational use of medicines.
She said in the advent of network marketing and internet sales, users of drugs should be provided with accurate information to make informed choices.
Mrs Darko said the implementation of the code was expected to ensure sanity in the selling of medical products as well as provide a reasonable level of playing ground for all practitioners and urged all participants to build networks in order to establish a common goal which will improve the health of all.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
