PCN seals 400 pharmacies, patent medicine stores in Adamawa

The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria has sealed 400 pharmacies and patent medicine stores in Adamawa for various offences.
The Director, Inspection and Monitoring of the council, Anthonia Aruya, made this known on Friday at a news conference in Yola.
Aruya said that the affected comprised 35 pharmacies and 365 patent medicine stores out of the 527 inspected by the PCN.
She said: “A total of 400 premises made up of 35 unregistered pharmacies and 365 patent medicine stores were sealed for various of offences some of which include operating without registration with PCN, failure to renew premises licence, dispensing ethical products without supervision of a pharmacist, poor sanitary conditions others.
“Ten facilities were issued compliance directives for offences that did not warrant sealing.”
Aruya said that the PCN Enforcement Team that operated in Adamawa had observed that many pharmaceutical premises commenced operations without fulfilling the minimum requirement for registration.
She added that the enforcement exercise in Adamawa was part of effort to address the ugly trend and improve on quality service delivery.
She said: “The team has visited most local government areas within the state covering both towns and villages.
“Owners of unregistered facilities have been visiting the PCN, Adamawa office to regularise their registration status since the commencement of the exercise.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the PCN is a Federal Government parastatal established by Degree 91 of 1992, now Pharmacists Council of Nigeria Act Cap P17,LFN, 2004, to among others regulate and control the training and practice of pharmacy in the country.