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PCN seals 380 pharmacies, patent medicines stores in Edo

PCN-Enforcement-team-sealing-a-medicine-store

File: Officials closing a store

Alexander Okere, Benin

The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria said it had sealed 380 illegal pharmaceutical facilities and patent medicine stores operating in Edo State for various offences.

It explained that the facilities, comprising 38 pharmacies and 270 patent medicine stores, were shut down during an inspection and enforcement exercise in the Benin metropolis.

The council’s Director of Inspection and Monitoring, Anthonia Aruya, while briefing journalists, listed the offences as failure to renew premises licence, dispensing ethical products without the supervision of pharmacist and poor sanitary condition.

Aruya noted that the operation was aimed at sanitising the drug distribution chain in the country.

She added that the inspection would ensure that the right storage environment was maintained to preserve “the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic integrity of drugs.”

She said, “PCN cannot guarantee that drugs sold in unregistered outlets are of the same integrity as specified by the manufacturers, since they have not submitted to the regulation that ensure maintenance of minimum standard for handling such products.”

Aruya expressed displeasure that many medicine stores in the state operated without proper registration, licence renewal and did not have the requisite knowledge on how to handle highly ethical drugs.

She said, “We observed in Edo that many premises are operating without registration while others failed to renew their licence. Some of them store products in environment where quality, safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products cannot be guaranteed.

“Those who complied with the council after the exercise would be trained in and enlightened on drug administration while others who failed to comply would be prosecuted.”

Speaking further, she affirmed that the council would not relent in promoting the health and safety of the public.

Aruya, however, urged Nigerians to resist the temptation to purchase drugs from unregistered pharmacies and drug stores.

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