Be Ready To Pay 50% More For Drugs – Pharmacists

Twenty-four hours to the commencement of the planned nationwide strike to protest the recent removal of fuel subsidy by President Goodluck Jonathan, pharmacists under the auspices of  Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, have told Nigerians to expect a 50 per cent rise in the cost of basic drugs in the country.

National President of the PSN, Mr Azubuike Okwor, who stated this, weekend, in Lagos also regretted that the hike in costs of basic drugs in the weeks ahead was inevitable if the decision to remove the subsidy was not reversed.

Okwor added that the development would provide another window of opportunity for faking of genuine medicines as many Nigerians would go for cheaper and affordable drugs.

Okwor traced the cost to increases in running costs for machinery and equipment, vehicles and overall logistic plan related to professional handling of drugs by manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailer.