The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 531 illegal pharmacies and patent medicine stores in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Also, the council has concluded plans to introduce an online platform to monitor drugs and enhance the regulation of pharmacy practices in the country.
The Director, Enforcement of PCB, Stephen Esumobi, who disclosed this, yesterday, in Abuja, said that the illegal medicine shops were sealed for offences that included operating without registration with the council.
Esumobi explained that this is made up of 235 pharmacies, 336 patent medicine shops and 337 illegal premises.
“531 premises were sealed. The premises sealed include 90 pharmacies, 144 patent medicine shops and 297 illegal medicine shops.” He noted that there have seen cases where licensed patent medicine shops administer drugs with narrow margins of safety through the intravenous route in unhygienic environments.
He noted that one of the core mandates of the PCN is ensuring rational distribution and dispensing of medicines that are safe, effective and of good quality at all levels of the healthcare delivery system in Nigeria.
He added that the council in its drive to maintain strong and effective presence across the states of the federation established state and zonal offices.
The director stated that the PCN Zonal office in the FCT also carried out inspection and monitoring activities on a regular basis with the aim of ensuring that the operations of all medicine outlets are in tandem with approved guidelines.
According to him, the national enforcement team of the council carried out a weeklong enforcement activities within the FCT starting from June 24, 2024.
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