PCN seals 505 medicine outlets in Cross River over illegal operations

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 505 illegal and non-compliant medicine outlets in Cross River State.

This action followed a rigorous four-day enforcement exercise targeting widespread violations within the state’s drug retail sector.

During a press briefing in Calabar on Thursday, the council stated that its four-day operation across 10 local government areas inspected 602 premises, with 48.3 per cent found to be operating outside regulatory requirements.

Speaking on behalf of the Registrar of PCN, Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed, Dr Suleiman S. Chiroma said the exercise led to the sealing of 291 illegal medicine outlets, 54 pharmacies and 160 patent medicine stores for various breaches.

He added that 13 compliance directives were issued to operators who were given opportunities to correct identified infractions.

Chiroma cited the recent conviction of Mrs Ezea Asidora Kamchekwube, who operated two unlicensed medicine shops in Calabar and was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment by the Federal High Court, as evidence that the council’s enforcement actions now carry legal consequences.

He disclosed that only 42.5 per cent of registered pharmacies inspected were fully compliant, while just 26.8 per cent of patent medicine vendors met regulatory standards.

According to him, the violations ranged from operating without valid licences and poor storage practices to unauthorised access to controlled medicines and unsupervised training of apprentices.

“These premises are operated by quacks and untrained persons who are not accountable to any statutory authority,” Chiroma said.

He urged residents to purchase medicines only from outlets displaying valid PCN licences, warning that drugs handled by unqualified persons could lead to treatment failures, antimicrobial resistance and avoidable health complications.

The PCN official said the enforcement was part of efforts to support the Federal Government’s Universal Health Coverage agenda by ensuring Nigerians have access to safe and quality-assured medicines.

Chiroma commended Cross River residents for cooperating with the enforcement teams and assured that monitoring would continue, with sanctions imposed on any outlet found violating regulatory standards.

He warned operators of illegal medicine outlets that the council’s crackdown in the state had only begun, as efforts to eliminate fake and unregistered drug businesses would be sustained.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖