Docfan Academy

A medicine looks like a medicine whether it is good or bad. You cannot tell by looking at a tablet. That is why every country has a medicines regulator: an official body that checks, on your behalf, what you cannot check yourself.

What a regulator does

In general, a medicines regulator does four jobs:

• Registers products. It reviews a product's quality, safety and effectiveness before it may be sold.
• Licenses premises and professionals. Wholesalers, pharmacies and pharmacists need permission to operate.
• Inspects. Inspectors visit premises to see that storage, records and hygiene meet the rules.
• Monitors after the sale. It collects reports of complaints, adverse reactions and poor-quality products, and can order recalls.

In Ethiopia this work belongs to the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA). Rules change from time to time, so always follow the current EFDA directives and the conditions written on your own licence.

Why you buy only from licensed suppliers

A licensed supplier has been inspected and must keep records, store products properly and trace every batch. An unlicensed seller has none of this. If a product turns out to be harmful, nobody can trace it, and the risk lands on you: on your patients, your licence and your good name.

Ask to see the licence

Asking is normal and polite. Professional suppliers expect it. Check that:

1. The licence belongs to the business name on the invoice.
2. It is valid and not expired.
3. It covers the kind of products being supplied.
4. The details match the invoice and the supplier's staff.

Keep a copy in your supplier file and update it when the licence is renewed.

Regulation is not paperwork for its own sake. It is the safety net under every patient, every pharmacy and every honest wholesaler.