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Rabat – In a letter sent yesterday to the Minister of Health and Social Protection, the Confederation of Moroccan Pharmacists’ Unions (CSPM) urged the immediate implementation of measures to stop some pharmaceutical companies from distributing free samples that contain psychotropic or narcotic substances.
The CSPM has reiterated its demand that the Ministry of Health address the issue of the unregulated distribution, particularly of samples with controlled substances.
The letter claims that these practices breach Law 04-17, which regulates pharmaceuticals and pharmacy practices.
Article 47 of this law explicitly forbids the distribution of drug samples containing psychotropic or narcotic substances, whether in public settings or at medical and pharmaceutical events.
Despite this prohibition, the CSPM notes that some laboratories continue to provide these samples to doctors, posing a serious risk to public health.
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“These drugs can only be dispensed through pharmacies, upon presentation of a medical prescription, and must be recorded in a specific register. However, these regulations are frequently ignored in practice, exacerbating risks to patients,” the letter states.
The letter also points out other concerns, including the failure to account for free samples during drug recalls and the transportation of these samples by medical representatives under unsanitary conditions.
Meanwhile, the confederation has condemned the fraudulent use of these samples to deceive insurance companies, a problem they claim to have reported multiple times.
Several solutions have been proposed to address these issues, including boosting controls over sample distribution and introducing measures to ensure samples are transported under sanitary conditions.
The CSPM also suggested limiting the distribution of samples to the first six months following the launch of a new drug to better regulate the process and prevent abuse.
