666 illicit pharmacies in Kaduna State have been closed by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria for operating outside the law and disobeying national drug distribution guidelines.
Targeting open drug markets and other places around the state where medications were being distributed without the required paperwork and oversight, the enforcement operation got underway earlier this week.
The action intends to safeguard public health, ensure the efficient and safe distribution of medications, and stop the sale of dangerous drugs within the state.
Following the conclusion of the exercise in Kaduna on Thursday, PCN Director of Enforcement, Pharm. Stephen Esumobi, addressed a news conference, stating that the affected locations comprised 306 illegal medicine shops, 313 patent medicine shops, and 47 pharmacies.
Esumobi reported that throughout the exercise, the PCN team visited 895 locations and gave nine compliance directions to store owners whose operations were discovered to be unlawful.
He declared, “A total of eight hundred and ninety-five (895) premises were visited at the completion of the enforcement activity, which started early this week. This consists of three hundred and six (306) illicit premises, seventy-five (75) pharmacies, and five hundred and fourteen (514) Patent medicine shops.
Six hundred and sixty-six (666) properties in all were sealed. Fourteen (47) pharmacies, thirty-six (306) illicit medicine shops, and thirty-seven (313) patent medicine shops are among the properties that have been sealed.
“The Kaduna PC office will provide owners of sealed shops with all necessary assistance if they are willing to comply with regulations.”
Esumobi went on to say that a variety of infractions led to the sealing of pharmacies, including the selling of pharmaceuticals in the open market, operating without a council registration, inadequate documentation, subpar storage facilities, and the stocking of ethical items under a pharmacist’s supervision.
The PCN would not allow the sale of medications in open drug markets or other unlicensed establishments, he declared.
“We will keep up our enforcement of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines in order to safeguard public health and stop the sale of dangerous drugs.”
He continued by saying that the pharmacies in open drug markets and a few other places in Kaduna state were running illegal businesses and were not registered with the council.
He contended that the growth represented a serious risk to public health because the way medications were stored in such establishments deviated from manufacturer instructions.
Because of the deterioration of the active components, “the implication of this is that most of the medicines sold in these locations may no longer be fit for human consumption,” he stated.
Esumobi stated that the PCN would not think twice about taking more action against dishonest pharmaceutical dealers and that the council would support proprietors of sealed stores who were prepared to follow the law.
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