115 Pharmacies, 319 Patent Medicine Shops In Plateau Sealed By PCN
115 pharmacies and 319 patent medicine shops in Plateau have been sealed by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) for violating laid down rules and guidelines.
On Friday, Stephen Esumobi, the Director of Enforcement of the PCN, had made this known in Jos as he briefed newsmen. He explained that the national enforcement team of the PCN had been in the state since the 4th of July for enforcement.
Mr. Esumobi stated that the facilities had been sealed due to various offences that ranged from operating without registration with the PCN, failure to renew the license of a premise, dispensing ethical products including substance of abuse without the supervision of a pharmacist.
The director said that some of the sealed shops had carried out activities beyond the scope of their license and poor storage and sanitary conditions.
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“A lot of these patent medicine vendors are not registered with the PCN and they operated in total breach of the council’s regulations. These unregistered premises have become channels for the distribution and sale of substances of abuse to members of the public. The primary goal of the unregistered premises is to make profit because they do have not have regards for the safety of the public who patronise them.”
He pointed out that patent medicine shops had been licensed by the PCN to sell over the counter medicines in line with the approved drug list and it was an offence for the vendors to sell ethical medicines including substance of abuse.
Furthermore, he revealed that during the enforcement exercise, the national enforcement team had observed that many wholesale pharmacies were not registered with the PCN and were operating illegally without pharmacists to supervise the pharmaceutical operations.
Mr. Esumobi said that the council has stepped up its activities to ensure that all unregistered premises are being closed down. He then warned members of the public to ensure that they purchase their medicines from licensed pharmacies and simple household remedies from licensed patent medicine shops.
Two vendors had been arrested for breaking the PCN seals.
SOURCE: NAN
