489 pharmacies and patent medicine stores in Akwa Ibom State have been sealed by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria for various infractions and breach of approved drug distribution guidelines.
The council’s enforcement team led by Dr Suleiman Chiroma visited 725 premises comprising 212 pharmacies and 513 patent medicine stores during the four day exercise in 14 Local Government Areas of the state where 122 pharmacies and 367 patent medicine stores were sealed while 6 premises were issued compliance directives.
This was in an effort to enforce regulatory standards necessary for optimum conditions and expertise for access to qualitative medicines the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, PCN’s enforcement team visited 14 local government areas of Uyo, Okobo, Oron, Ikot Ekpene, Ikot Abasi, Abak, Essien Udim, Ibiono Ibom, Ikono, Ini, Eket, Ibeno, Ibesikpo Asutan and Itu with the aim of ensuring that quacks are rooted out of the pharmaceutical practice.
Speaking with Radio Nigeria, Head, PCN enforcement, Dr Chiroma emphasised the need to stamp out the reckless handling of medicines by vendors whose aims are to exploit and put unsuspecting public at risk.
Dr Chiroma explained that drugs and medical devices are meant to follow the approved channels of distribution that are inspected, approved, licensed and monitored to ensure its efficacy and potency, noting that any breach will be sanctioned.
The Head of Enforcement, highlighted some of the breaches to include operating illegally, clinical practices, access to controlled medicines by unauthorised personnel, over stocking beyond approved patent medicine list, training of apprentices and retailing by wholesale premises among others.
‘’One of the serious misnomer and trend observed during the course of the exercise was the uncontrolled and rampant training of apprentices by some premises which is a flagrant violation of the PCN Act. The PCN seriously frown at this ignoble act and those pharmacies and vendors who engage in this misconduct will be sanctioned appropriately‘’ he said.
Dr Chiroma urged members of the public to be mindful of where they access their medicines to avoid falling victims of unauthorised personnel and quacks.
‘’Report such persons to the Akwa Ibom state office of the PCN in Uyo. The public can identify genuine pharmacies and PPMVs by their respective licenses being conspicuously displayed in the premises. I thank Akwa Ibom State for their cooperation in the effort of the PCN in sanitising the state from counterfeit and falsified pharmaceutical product‘’ Dr Chiroma said.
To ensure compliance with the National Drug Distribution Guidelines and to address the chaotic distribution system that made it easy for untrained persons to be involved in handling medicines, the council has constituted 2 committees for continuous monitoring and enforcement.
Source: Ikechukwu Agbamegbue, FRCN Uyo.
