An evaluation of the effectiveness of the law governing the regulation of pharmaceutical products and allied substances in Zambia
Date
2013-02-27
Authors
Chilinde, Bonaventure
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Abstract
The Pharmaceutical industry in general requires a well outlined laws to ensure proper control. The Zambian pharmaceutical industry is not an exception to this. The law governing the industry in Zambia is the Pharmaceutical Act No. 14 of 2004 which repealed the 'Pharmacy and Poisons Act, 1940' and the 'Therapeutic Substances Act, 1968'. The previous laws were administered by the defunct 'Pharmacy and Poisons Board' which was a department in the Ministry of Health. The 'Pharmacy and Poisons Board' did not have much powers to prosecute cases that came before it as regards medicines because the law applied then did not provide for necessary sanctions. The 'Pharmacy and Poisons Board' largely depended on the Zambia Police to prosecute cases that came up. The enactment of the Pharmaceutical Act No. 14 of 2004 established the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Authority which took over from the activities of the 'Pharmacy and Poisons Board'. This is a body corporate that can sue and be sued. Since its inception, a number of cases have been prosecuted against those that have been operating against the law. The current law governing the pharmaceutical industry has made a positive impact in bringing sanity to the industry. The court cases that have been handled by the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Authority have had a deterrent effect to would be offenders in the industry.
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Pharmacy--law and legislation--Zambia , Pharmaceutical policy--Zambia