By Dennis Gichuiri
The Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK) has backed the 2026 edition of the Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) Guidelines, saying the new framework will help improve patient safety and strengthen accountability in the provision of pharmaceutical services.
PSK said the guidelines provide clear standards that pharmacies and pharmaceutical professionals are expected to follow when sourcing, storing, dispensing and monitoring medicines.
Speaking on behalf of the society, the PSK President said the guidelines were important in ensuring patients receive safe, effective and high-quality pharmaceutical care.
“We consider the guidelines an important framework for strengthening the quality, safety, consistency and accountability of pharmaceutical services in Kenya,” the society said.
The organisation also commended the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) for its efforts to protect patients through measures that include pharmacovigilance, post-market surveillance, product recalls, inspection and licensing of pharmaceutical premises.
PSK said the measures are critical because medicines, while essential in treating and managing diseases, can also cause harm when they are improperly stored, prescribed, dispensed, administered or monitored.
Under the Good Pharmacy Practice framework, pharmaceutical professionals are expected to properly assess prescriptions, confirm the correct medicine, dosage and duration and identify possible drug interactions before dispensing medicines.
Patients should also receive clear information on how to take and store their medicines and what to do if they experience suspected adverse reactions.
The guidelines further require the protection of patients’ personal and medical information while promoting proper record-keeping and appropriate referral where a patient requires further medical assessment.
PSK said the framework also seeks to strengthen the reporting and follow-up of suspected adverse drug reactions and medication errors.
“For the ordinary patient, the Guidelines should translate into safer, more consistent and more professional pharmaceutical services,” the society said.
The society stressed that Good Pharmacy Practice goes beyond simply handing medicines to patients.
Modern pharmacy practice, it said, covers the wider pharmaceutical-care process, including disease prevention, health promotion, prescription assessment, patient counselling, medication monitoring, pharmacovigilance and antimicrobial stewardship.
The guidelines also recognise the growing role of digital pharmacy services as well as referral services and other public-health interventions.
According to PSK, pharmaceutical care should continue throughout a patient’s medication journey rather than ending when medicine is dispensed.
The society acknowledged that stakeholders may have questions about the interpretation and implementation of some provisions of the 2026 guidelines.
It called for structured and evidence-based engagement between regulators, pharmaceutical professionals and other stakeholders to address legitimate concerns and clarify areas that may require further guidance.
PSK said supporting the guidelines does not prevent stakeholders from raising concerns or proposing practical improvements.
However, it maintained that any review or clarification should preserve the main objective of the framework, which is to strengthen professional standards and protect patients.
The society said it would continue working with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board and other healthcare stakeholders to support implementation of the guidelines and strengthen public confidence in pharmaceutical services.
“Every patient deserves safe, effective and high-quality pharmaceutical care,” PSK said.
