Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 572 pharmacies, patent medicine stores and illegal medicine outlets across Plateau State for various regulatory infractions.
The enforcement exercise, which lasted four days, was carried out in several local government areas of the state as part of efforts to sanitise Nigeria’s drug distribution system.
Addressing journalists in Jos, the Head of Enforcement of the PCN, Dr Suleiman Chiroma, said the affected premises were shut down for offences ranging from unauthorised clinical practice and improper handling of controlled medicines to operating in unapproved conditions.
Chiroma, who spoke on behalf of the Registrar of the Council, Ibrahim Ahmed, said the operation was conducted under the provisions of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act No. 31 of 2022.
He explained that the exercise aligns with the implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines aimed at ensuring medicines are distributed only through approved channels.
“The major goal of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines is to ensure drug distribution through approved channels, from the point of manufacture or importation to the end user,” he said.
According to him, the enforcement initiative is designed to remove unqualified operators from the pharmaceutical supply chain and address deficiencies in medicine storage and handling.
Chiroma said enforcement teams inspected 778 premises across eight local government areas, including Jos North, Jos South, Mangu, Shendam, Barkin Ladi, Qua’an Pan and Bassa.
The inspected facilities comprised 199 pharmacies, 499 patent medicine stores and 80 illegal medicine outlets.
He said a total of 572 premises were sealed, including 120 pharmacies, 372 patent medicine stores and all 80 illegal outlets, while five compliance directives were issued.
“Of the 199 pharmacies visited, 60 per cent were sealed. This reflects a deeply concerning standard of pharmaceutical practice within the state and underscores the need for intensified regulatory efforts,” Chiroma said.
He listed some of the violations observed during the exercise to include cooking inside medicine premises, unauthorised clinical practice, illegal storage and dispensing of medicines, access to poison cupboards by non-pharmacists and obstruction of regulatory officers.
According to him, such practices pose serious risks to public health and national security.
“Controlled medicines may be diverted into the hands of criminal elements and insurgents if adequate safeguards are not maintained,” he warned.
The council, however, noted that illegal premises accounted for only a small proportion of the facilities inspected, indicating a relatively low prevalence of unlicensed medicine outlets in the state.
Chiroma expressed concern that only about 40 per cent of registered pharmacies inspected were found to be fully compliant with regulatory requirements.
He reiterated the commitment of the council to ensuring strict compliance with pharmaceutical regulations nationwide.
The PCN also advised members of the public to obtain medicines only from licensed pharmacies and approved patent medicine vendors to safeguard their health and wellbeing.
