The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) says it has been able to flush out expired drugs from the system.

Mrs. Delexe Darko of the drugs registration department said this was the outcome of a survey conducted by the FDB nationwide.

She told The Chronicle in an interview in Accra that to ensure that the quality of imported drugs met safety requirements, the FDB maintains a strong presence at the ports of entry to inspect collate data and store information on the drugs.

She explained that expired drugs are sometimes found on the market through smuggling or when they remain in the shops for a long time.

When this happens, she noted, chemical sellers and pharmacists are supposed to remove such drugs from their shops and inform the board to issue a certificate of destruction.

Mrs. Darko said a total of 558 types of drugs and 279 cosmetics have been registered by the board as at the end of the first quarter of this year.

Mrs. Darko said before the registration the board held a series of meetings with all the stakeholders to educate them on the importance of registration.

She said registration entails rigorous sampling with the assistance of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), which crosschecks the wholesomeness of the drugs with the country of origin.

"Drugs are allowed into the country after they have met all the requirements," she added.

Mr. Botwe of surveillance department deplored drug advertisements in the electronic media, saying that through such advertisements people are sometimes misled into buying drugs, which may not be good for their health.

He said the malpractice also encourages self-medication by people instead of seeing a doctor.