PCN seals off 209 medicine stores in Lagos

The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 209 drug outlets comprising 21 pharmacies, 146 patent medicine stores, and 43 patent medicine stores for various offences in Lagos State.

The Deputy Director and Head of Enforcement of the council in Abuja, Stephen Esumobi, made this known during a press conference in Lagos at the end of its one week facility inspection and enforcement exercise.

Esumobi said the 209 medicine shops closed were among the 346 premises visited to assess their compliance to operational standards.

He said the facilities were sealed for various offences ranging ftom operating without registration with Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, failure to renew premises licence, dispensing ethical products without the supervision of a pharmacist, poor storage and sanitary conditions among others.

He said information available to PCN indicates that the activity of illegal medicine dealers is still on the increase in some parts of Lagos State such as Satellite Town, Ojo, Ijesha, Ijora, Ajegunle, Kirikiri, Alaba, Badagary, Agege, Ipaja, OrileIganmu and Ikotun.

He said many pharmaceutical premises in these areas were operating illegally while others failed to renew their licences.

“Some of the owners of these premises lack the requisite knowledge to handle the products in their shops. In so many cases drugs are exposed to environmental conditions that alter their pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profiles thus making them unsuitable for human consumption. Unfortunately these products are freely sold to unsuspecting members of the public thus endangering their health,” he added.

Esumobi said however that there was improvement in compliance in some premises that were sealed off in the past enforcement activities in the state,

According to him, “Some of the premises have improved on their storage facilities while some others have engaged the services of pharmacists to supervise the dispensing of ethical products thus necessitating their registration to offer pharmaceutical services to the public.”

He said the enforcement exercise was a continuation of efforts by the PCN to reverse this ugly trend and improve on the quality of pharmaceutical services delivery in the state

He advised members of the public to purchase their medicines from licensed pharmacies and simple household remedies from licensed patent and propriety medicines vendor shops to guarantee the quality of their drugs.

While seeking collaboration with security agents in ensuring sanity in drug distributing system, he said those intending to start pharmaceutical business should get in touch with the PCN head office or any of its state and zonal offices for proper guidance.