A recent study in Nigeria by the Future Heath Systems (FHS) consortium identified patent medicine vendors (PMV) associations as having potential important roles to play in providing information, influencing PMV behaviour and procuring drugs, but the government knows very little about PMVs or their associations. As a way of bridging this gap, a team from the University of Ibadan undertook an exploratory study among the officers of Patent Medicine Vendors Association (PMVA) in Oyo State, Nigeria at the state, zonal and local government area (LGA) levels to explore the organizational and regulatory practices of the association in relation to the management of malaria, using an exploratory research design.