The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, the regulatory body mandated to oversee pharmaceutical practice in Nigeria, has sealed 443 premises in Taraba for violating regulations. Sulaiman Chiroma, head of enforcement for the council, disclosed this while briefing journalists on Friday in Jalingo.

The PCN officer listed the violations to include illegal operations, non-renewal of premises registration, and engaging in clinical practices without appropriate authorisation.

Other offences included unauthorised access to controlled medicines, stocking beyond the approved patent medicine list, improper training of apprentices, and retailing by wholesale-only licensed premises.

Mr Chiroma said out of the sealed premises, 43 were pharmacies, while 395 were patent medicine shops. He stated that the enforcement team visited a total of 656 premises across 11 local government areas in Taraba.

M Chiroma urged residents of the state to be cautious about where they source their medications, stressing the risks of patronising untrained or unauthorised sellers.

He encouraged the public to report suspected quack operators to the PCN office in Jalingo.

He also explained that genuine pharmacies could be identified by a valid licence displayed prominently within the premises and assured that the council remained committed to safeguarding public health through strict enforcement of professional standards.

In his remarks, Aodoaseer Gwar from the PCN North-East zonal office in Bauchi affirmed that licensed pharmacies were expected to uphold ethical standards and would not indulge in unwholesome practices.

He added that the council’s ongoing enforcement efforts leave no room for quackery or breaches of the pharmacist’s code of ethics in Nigeria.

(NAN)