571 pharmacies and medicine shops closed in Bauchi

The Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) has closed down a total of 571 patent medicine shops, illegal medicine shops and pharmacies in Bauchi State for various offences and violations of laws and regulations.
The affected local government areas are Bauchi, Tafawa Balewa, Darazo, Ganjuwa, Alkaleri, Dambam, Kirfi, Ningi, Toro and Dass.

Speaking at a press conference by the Director and Head of Law Enforcement Department, PCN National Headquarters, Pharm. Stephen Esumobi at the PCN North East Zonal Office in Bauchi State on Thursday, said illegal drug dealers were also involved in the sale of large quantities of narcotic substances to members of the public, especially in the state capital, thereby worsening the social and security problems arising from the illegal use of such drugs.

He added that large quantities of used needles and syringes were found in some patent medicine shops in Bauchi metropolis, which were likely to have been reused or sold to other drug dealers operating in rural areas.

According to him, during the inspection, PCN noticed that the owners of the sealed premises had not taken any steps to improve their storage capacities.

Other offences committed by owners of pharmaceutical premises include operating without registration and failure to renew premises certificates, insufficient documentation, patent medicine sellers selling medicines outside the approved list and providing clinical services, wholesalers engaged in retail sales, pharmacies operating without a pharmacist manager.

Esumobi gave a tally of the closed premises in Bauchi, including thirty-seven (37) pharmacies, one hundred and forty-four (144) patent medicine shops and three hundred and ninety (390) illegal medicine shops.

Announcement

He said: “In 2022, the PCN Enforcement Team visited Bauchi State and some drug outlets were closed down for operating in violation of our laws and regulations. The council has taken steps to correct the irregularities observed at these premises.”
PCN staff met with the owners of such properties and most of them assured that they would comply with our laws and regulations.

PCN through our state and zonal offices in Bauchi has taken steps to provide guidance to medicine shop owners on the steps they need to take to be law compliant.

The director added that for drugs to have the desired therapeutic effects, it is important that they remain safe, effective and of good quality throughout their shelf life. One of the identified factors affecting the stability and therapeutic benefits of drugs is good storage conditions with appropriate control of temperature and humidity.

He added that “exposure of drugs to adverse environmental factors leads to product instability and degradation. Several studies have shown that poor quality drugs are responsible for a high percentage of treatment failures and avoidable deaths.

By the end of the exercise, a total of seven hundred and sixty-two (762) premises had been visited. This includes eighty-eight (88) pharmacies, two hundred and eighty-four (284) patent medicine shops and three hundred and ninety (390) illegal premises.

Pharmacist Stephen Esumobi has therefore advised everyone to source all their medicines from registered and currently licensed pharmacies and over the counter medicines from registered patent medicine stores as it cannot be guaranteed that medicines sold from unregistered outlets are safe for consumption.

The director also said that the state and zonal offices of the PCN have been directed to continue monitoring all pharmaceutical establishments across the state to ensure that they are functioning in compliance with our laws and regulations.

“The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) is a federal state institution tasked with the regulation and control of pharmacy education, training and practice in all its aspects and ramifications in accordance with the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria Establishment Act, 2022,” concluded pharmacist Stephen Esumobi.