The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) arrested, and prosecuted two illegal operators and sealed 350 pharmacies and medicine stores in Jigawa State.
This was disclosed by the Director Enforcement of Pharmacy Council Nigeria (PCN), Pharmacist Stephen Esumobi while briefing newsmen on the activities of the council at federal Secretariat Dutse, the Jigawa state capital, said “An enforcement team has arrived the state in continuation of it’s efforts to streamline the drug distribution system in Nigeria”.
Pharmacist Stephen Esumobi explained that “a total of 355 premises were sealed which include 8 pharmacies, 87 patent medicine shops, and 260 illegal medicine shops”.
According to him “457 premises were visited by the PCN team, noting that this made up of 19 pharmacies, 178 patent medicine shops and 260 illegal premises”.
He said this is to ensure that all medicines remain safe effective and of good quality as they pass through different stakeholders at various levels of the drug distribution chain until they get to the consumers.
Stephen Esumobi pointed out that, various premises were operating illegally as they were never registered by the PCN in Jigawa state.
He noted that many patent medicine shops also stocked large quantities of medicines that were outside their approved drug list and also far beyond their scope.
The Director of enforcement said the storage conditions in most of the premises visited were found to be inadequate thus exposing products to degradation.
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He added that illegal medicine dealers were also found to engage in the sale of substances of abuse to members of the public as a result aggravating the social and security challenges emanating from the illicit use of these medicines.
The team leader said all the affected pharmacies and shops were sealed for offences ranging from unauthorized sale of substances of abuse, wholesale premises engaging in retail, sale of medicines without documentation, operating without registration with PCN among others.
He added that those two arrests were made, one for breaking PCN seals and the second for obstructing inspectors.
Stephen said the Registrar of PCN, Pharmacist Ibrahim Baba Shehu Ahmed is currently repositioning the PCN to strengthen its surveillance and enforcement activities nationwide with the aim of improving the quality of pharmaceutical services in premises across the 36 states including the FCT.
He said the local government areas visited include Dutse, Hadejia, Birnin Kudu, Gwaram, Ringim, Taura, Birniwa and Guri.
Others also include Mallam Madori, Jahun, Kiyawa, Garki, Gumel, Kazaure, Roni, Gagarawa, Buji, Kafin Hausa, Kaugama, and Auyo.
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