Pharmacy Enforcement Division

Introduction

Pharmacy Enforcement plays an important role in ensuring pharmaceuticals, traditional and cosmetics available in the market are genuine in terms of registration and notification.

• It also oversees the supply chain, marketing, advertising (including medical services) and usage of these produts, ensuring compliance with existing legislation.
• This is achieved through enforcement and preventive measures, licensing control, monitoring activities, and public awareness campaigns aimed at reducing demand for unsafe or hazardous products.

The primary objective is to ensure that all sales, supply, possession, and advertising of substances, products, and cosmetics comply with legal provisions.

Subdivisions

Intelligence and Operation

• Gather and analyze intelligence from various sources.
• Conduct raids on premises involved in the sale, supply, storage, or manufacture of unregistered products and un-notified cosmetics.
• Conduct raids on premises selling, supplying, storing, or manufacturing poisons, psychotropic substances, chemicals, and controlled medicines without valid licenses.
• Conduct audits of controlled medicines.

Licensing

• Process licenses, permits, and authorizations for the sale, use, import, and export of poisons, dangerous drugs, psychotropic substances, controlled substances, and chemical precursors.
• Inspect licensed premises.
• Coordinate and monitor screening and inspection of imported products and controlled substances at entry points.
• Coordinate and monitor licensing and inspection activities at the state level.

Legislation

• Conduct and regulate legislative activities, including gazetting, amendments, updating the list of poisons, and appointing officers under applicable acts.
• Process applications for special exemptions to import unregistered products from government institutions, the private sector, higher education institutions, and research laboratories.
• Monitor the progress of inspection activities involving pharmaceutical products, poisons, and chemicals controlled under applicable acts.
• Conduct prosecutions in court in accordance with applicable acts.

Advertisement Control

• Process applications for product and medical service advertisements.
• Monitor advertisements in print and electronic media for compliance with existing rules and legislation.
• Investigate cases involving advertisements of products and medical services.
• Compile and coordinate enforcement statistics, and monitor activities related to the quality and innovation of pharmacy enforcement.
• Plan and coordinate pharmacy enforcement activities and training.

Pharmacy Forensic

• Analyze samples of products suspected of violating legal provisions.
• Create a database of tested samples and enforcement-related information for reference and research.
• Provide technical input and pharmaceutical forensic expertise in case investigations involving violations of laws enforced by the digital-related Pharmacy Enforcement Division.
• Conduct digital forensics and data recovery for court proceedings.
• Collect digital information for enforcement purposes.
• Establish collaborative networks with law enforcement agencies for cyber-related investigative skills and information sharing.
• Conduct digital forensics training for Ministry of Health officers and pharmacy enforcement officers.
• Coordinate and monitor research and development activities related to pharmacy enforcement.
• Coordinate and monitor all activities related to innovation and quality assurance studies conducted by the State Pharmacy Enforcement Branches.

Pharmacy Enforcement Development Section

• Monitor and coordinate budget allocation for pharmacy enforcement activities at headquarters and state levels.
• Monitor and coordinate human resource matters related to pharmacy enforcement activities.
• Monitor and coordinate training and competency development for pharmacy enforcement officers.
• Monitor and coordinate the implementation of pharmacy enforcement activities to achieve quality indicators and objectives, and establish policies and action plans.
• Monitor and coordinate feedback from headquarters and states to stakeholders.
• Monitor the implementation of dialogue sessions and meetings organized by headquarters.
• Monitor and coordinate the development of existing and new systems within the Pharmacy Enforcement Division.
• Oversee the administrative affairs of the Pharmacy Enforcement Division.

Summary

The belief that the world is full of people with integrity is naive.

• While enforcing the law to punish offenders brings justice, it also serves as a deterrent against greed-driven wrongdoing.
• Surprisingly, pharmacists in enforcement divisions, despite potentially lacking comprehensive training of such diverse roles, are directly involved in a wide range of activities.
• These include prosecuting cases in court (acting as lawyers), conducting raids (akin to police officers), and even participating in digital forensics (like IT specialists).