The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, has said the Electronic Pharmacy Regulation Platform (E-Pharmacy), championed by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, underscores Nigeria’s commitment to building a world-class regulatory environment in the health sector.

Pate stated this on Friday in Abuja while inaugurating the platform, which is designed to regulate digital pharmaceutical services and enhance public health outcomes. He acknowledged that pharmacy regulation in Nigeria has faced significant challenges for over three decades but expressed confidence that the new initiative would strengthen oversight and accountability across the sector.

According to him, the platform will enable evidence-based monitoring of pharmaceutical practices while also supporting innovation and investment in healthcare delivery. He described the initiative as a decisive step toward aligning pharmaceutical practice in Nigeria with both national and global health priorities, in line with the realities of the 21st century.

“This launch is a testament to our collective commitment to advancing technology in the service of health, safety, and human dignity,” he said. “It enables the country to adopt evidence-based approaches to monitoring and protecting public health while supporting innovation and investment.”

The minister added that the platform would help establish a safe, accessible, and well-regulated national e-pharmacy ecosystem driven by digital technology.

Earlier, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, Ibrahim Ahmed, said the need to regulate online pharmacy operations became more urgent during the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that the crisis accelerated the adoption of digital tools and e-commerce in healthcare, while also exposing longstanding inefficiencies in pharmaceutical supply chains, particularly in Nigeria and across Africa.

Ahmed explained that the shift has led to the growing adoption of digitised distribution of essential medicines through cost-effective, technology-enabled models. He added that although the council has long regulated pharmacy education, training, practice, and business in Nigeria, the evolution of digital healthcare has transformed how medicines are accessed.

He said the Electronic Pharmacy Regulations 2026 provide a comprehensive legal and technical framework for the registration, licensing, operation, and oversight of digital pharmaceutical services, ensuring that ethical standards and patient safety are not compromised in the delivery of online pharmaceutical care.