The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria has shut down 486 pharmaceutical outlets in Niger State for violating regulatory standards.
The Head of Enforcement, PCN Headquarters, Dr. Suleiman Ciroma, disclosed this in Minna on Friday while briefing journalists at the council’s North Central Zonal Office after a week-long inspection exercise.
According to him, the affected premises include 69 pharmacies, 127 patent medicine shops, and 290 unlicensed outlets.
“One person was also arrested for obstructing our inspectors in the course of duty. He will be prosecuted accordingly,” Ciroma said.
The council inspected a total of 672 premises, comprising 136 pharmacies and 536 patent medicine shops, across nine Local Government Areas: Agaie, Bida, Tafa, Chanchaga, Lapai, Paikoro, Bosso, Suleja, and Gurara.
Ciroma explained that the enforcement targeted compliance with professional ethics, personnel qualifications, premises standards, and general pharmaceutical practice.
“Our inspection revealed a lot of infractions, including the operation of unlicensed premises, unauthorised clinical practice, non-compliance with regulatory standards, sale of controlled drugs without approval, and illegal training of apprentices,” he noted.
He urged residents to only patronise duly licensed pharmacies and shops for their safety.
“Licensed premises can be easily identified by the display of current licences. We advise the public to avoid unregistered outlets to protect themselves from substandard and falsified medicines,” Ciroma added.
The PCN enforcement head commended the people of Niger State for their cooperation during the exercise, stressing that nationwide enforcement would continue in order to sanitise the pharmaceutical sector and guarantee quality healthcare delivery.