The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed off 280 patent medicine stores for various unethical offences in Zamfara state. The council’s Director in charge of Inspection and Monitoring, Mrs Anthonia Aruya, announced the closure at a news conference in Gusau. She said the measure became necessary to prevent people from taking poison unknowingly as prescribed drugs.
She explained that some medicine store operators were found dispensing ethical products without the supervision of pharmacist, while others operated under poor sanitary conditions.
Mrs Aruya revealed that some operators were not registered by the council or failed to renew their registration making it difficult for the council to know what they were doing.
According to her, the council cannot guarantee drugs sold from unregistered outlets.
The director advised the general public to always look out for the council’s “x” signs before buying drugs at chemists.
She maintained that her team would continue to carry out its assignments to ensure compliance with guidelines.
“This will ensure safety, quality and efficacy of pharmaceutical products in the state,” she noted.
The council thanked the support of security agencies and the media in carrying out its operations.
According to her the council visited a total of 365 premises comprising four pharmacies and 361 patent medicine shops across the 14 local government areas of the state during the exercise.
