The Nigerian Pharmacy Council has raided 572 pharmacies, patent medicine stores, and illicit drug outlets in Plateau State.
A number of infractions with pharmaceutical rules led to the closure of the stores, including the following: unlawful clinical practice, cooking within drug stores and unauthorised access to regulated drugs.
During a news conference in Jos on Friday, following a four-day enforcement campaign, this was revealed by Dr. Suleiman Chiroma, the Head of Department for Enforcement at the PCN.
The operation was carried out in compliance with the Council’s authority under the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act No. 31 of 2022, according to Chiroma, who spoke on behalf of the Registrar/CEO of the Council, Ibrahim Ahmed.
He elaborated by saying the drill was an attempt to implement federally-mandated guidelines for the distribution of controlled substances in an effort to rein in Nigeria’s “chaotic drug distribution system.”
“The NDDG’s primary objective is to guarantee the end-user receives their medication via authorised channels, beginning at the point of manufacture or importation.”
The pharmaceutical supply chain is being systematically disenfranchised by non-professional actors as part of an ongoing enforcement effort to address storage infrastructure problems. He emphasised that this involvement is crucial in the fight against counterfeit and inferior pharmaceuticals.
Several local government areas were visited by the enforcement team: Jos South, Jos North, Mangu, Shendam, Barkin Ladi, Qua’an Pan, and Bassa.
According to Chiroma, a grand total of 778 establishments were subject to inspection, including 199 pharmacies, 499 businesses selling patent medicines, and 80 unlicensed vendors.
In the end, 572 locations were sealed, including 120 pharmacies, 372 establishments selling patent medicines, and 80 unlicensed vendors. He also mentioned that five compliance instructions had been issued.
Chiroma said the results were disturbing because 60% of the pharmacies they checked had their doors sealed.
Out of the 199 pharmacies that were inspected, 60% had their doors sealed. The discovery highlights a worrisome level of pharmaceutical practice in the state and highlights the necessity for the Nigerian Pharmacy Council to step up its regulatory efforts in Plateau State’, he stated.
“We also found out that out of all the businesses that were inspected across the state, just 26% were pharmacies. The rest were PPMVs, or illegally operated outlets,” he added.