The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), in an enforcement excercise, shut down 666 medicine stores in open drug markets and other locations in Kaduna state .
Addressing newsmen on Thursday in Kaduna, the Director Enforcement of the PCN, Stephen Esumobi, said the PCN also carried out the enforcement excercise in Zaria LGA of the state.
At the end of the enforcement which began early in the week, Esumobi said a total of 895 premises were visited.
” We visited 75 pharmacies, 514 patent medicine shops, 306 other premises .
“The premises sealed included 47 pharmacies, 313 patent medicine shops and 306 illegal medicine shops,” he said.
He explained that the presmises were sealed for offences ranging from sale of medicines in the open drug market, operating without registration with PCN, poor documentation, poor storage facilities, stocking of ethical products without the supervision of a pharmacist.
Esumobi added that other offences were wholesalers engaging in retail activities, non- pharmacists having access to poison cupboards, patent medicine shops engaging in clinical practice and training apprentices among others.
“One major obstacle militating against the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines in Nigeria is the sale of medicines in open drug markets.
“Many medicine shops in the open drug markets and some other locations across the Kaduna state are not registered by the PCN and are operating illegally.
“The storage conditions for medicines in these premises are poor as medicines are stored at temperature and humidity conditions that are at variance with manufacturers recommnendations.
“The implication of this is that most of the medicines sold in these locations may no longer be fit for human consumption due to degradation of the active ingredients.
“Some of the products of degradation of these medicines are harmful thus posing a threat to public health.
“The premises do not have pharmacists to supervise the sale of ethical medicines and other medicines with narrow margin of safety thus exposing consumers to harmful consequences of the wrong use of the medicines,” he said.
Speaking further, the director said most of the medicine dealers engage in the illegal sale of substances of abuse to members of the public, thereby aggravating the social and security challenges emanating from the illicit use of the medicines.
He said the PCN had communicated on many occasions with the relevant stakeholders in open drug markets in Zaria and Kaduna city on the need to relocate to registrable locations or a coordinated wholesale centre as their activities are in total violation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines.
