The Ministry of Health is cracking down hard on pharmacies selling prescription meds illegally. Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale issued a sharp warning, saying selling drugs like sildenafil without a valid prescription is a serious legal and public health risk. He stated that any pharmacy, wholesaler, distributor, or person caught doing this will face consequences. These include having products taken away, losing their business license, or even criminal charges.
To tighten control, the ministry is launching a mandatory online tracking system. Starting in January 2026, all imported, exported, and locally made health products must have their batch and lot numbers declared digitally. Officials think this will help stop prescription drugs from getting into the market without proper paperwork. New standards for tracking and authenticating these products are also ready, waiting to be made official after talks with the industry.
Enforcement is already happening across the country. Inspectors are doing surprise checks on wholesalers, distributors, and retail pharmacies, looking closely at prescription records. Any practitioner breaking these rules will be sent to the ethics committee for disciplinary action. This marks a big shift from the previous, more relaxed oversight of how pharmacies operate.
To tighten control, the ministry is launching a mandatory online tracking system. Starting in January 2026, all imported, exported, and locally made health products must have their batch and lot numbers declared digitally. Officials think this will help stop prescription drugs from getting into the market without proper paperwork. New standards for tracking and authenticating these products are also ready, waiting to be made official after talks with the industry.
Enforcement is already happening across the country. Inspectors are doing surprise checks on wholesalers, distributors, and retail pharmacies, looking closely at prescription records. Any practitioner breaking these rules will be sent to the ethics committee for disciplinary action. This marks a big shift from the previous, more relaxed oversight of how pharmacies operate.
