Council Seals 19,059 Pharmacies, Patent Medicine Shops

BY PATIENCE IVIE IHEJIRIKA, Abuja

Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) said it has sealed 19,059 Illegal premises out of 27,262 facilities it visited for enforcement activities between 2018 to date.

The registrar, PCN, Ibrahim Ahmed, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, said out of the 19,059 illegal premises shut down, 1,780 were premises sealed for operating illegally as pharmaceutical premises while 16, 502 others sealed were patent medicine shops.

He also said that over a total number of 110 people were arrested in connection with illegal premises and are at various stages of prosecution.

Speaking on drug distribution, Ahmed said efforts were ongoing to ensure that all medicine dealers in open drug markets in the country were relocated to Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWCs) in line with the National Drug Distribution Guidelines.

“The PCN is currently partnering with the government of states where these markets are located and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that this is achieved.

“The Kano project has been completed, the Lagos project is ongoing, and the Anambra project, located at Oba is on track,” he explained.

He advised Nigerians to purchase their medicines from licensed pharmacies and simple household remedies from licensed patent and propriety medicines vendors’ shops while informing that the PCN licensed pharmacies and patent medicine shops are expected to display their licenses or evidence of registration conspicuously within the premises.

On the new PCN Act, the registrar said the law had strengthened the council and had made clear certain things that were not explicitly stated.