The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 430 medicine outlets across ten local government areas in Yobe after a four-day enforcement exercise to curb illegal pharmaceutical practices.

The council’s head of the enforcement department, Suleiman Chiroma, disclosed this while presenting the outcome of the exercise at a news conference in Damaturu, the state capital, on Friday.

Mr Chiroma said the enforcement team inspected 601 premises, comprising 34 pharmacies, 267 patent and proprietary medicine vendor (PPMV) outlets and 300 unregistered or illegal medicine outlets.

He said officials sealed all 300 illegal outlets, 20 pharmacies, and 110 patent medicine stores for various regulatory breaches, while issuing 21 compliance directives to other operators.

Mr Chiroma said the exercise covered Damaturu, Jakusko, Potiskum, Fika, Fune, Nguru, Nangere, Bade, Karasuwa, and Machina local government areas.

He said the findings were particularly concerning because 50 per cent of the 601 premises inspected were operating illegally, describing the situation as a significant public health concern.

According to him, the 300 illegal outlets account for about 70 per cent of all premises sealed during the exercise.

“Illegal premises were scattered throughout the length and breadth of the state, underscoring the need for the council to intensify its regulatory activities in Yobe,” he said.

The PCN official said the exercise also revealed limited access to formal pharmaceutical services in the state.

He said 34 of the 601 premises inspected were pharmacies, representing only about six per cent. He said only 41 per cent of the pharmacies were fully compliant with regulatory standards, while 63 per cent of the patent medicine outlets were compliant.

Mr Chiroma said the violations recorded included operation without valid PCN licences, poor storage conditions, and unauthorised access to controlled medicines.

‘’Other violations are the use of unqualified persons and apprentices in ways contrary to regulatory requirements,” he said.

He warned that such practices could expose residents to substandard, falsified or improperly stored medicines, potentially resulting in treatment failure, drug misuse, antimicrobial resistance and avoidable deaths.

The PCN official said the unauthorised handling and diversion of controlled medicines could also create risks to national security.

He said the enforcement exercise was carried out pursuant to the directive of PCN registrar Ibrahim Ahmed.

Mr Chiroma said the council was also enforcing the National Drug Distribution Guidelines, which sought to reduce the circulation of fake and adulterated medicines.

According to him, the guidelines have also resulted in the establishment of coordinated wholesale centres in Kano, Lagos, Onitsha and Aba, with the Kano centre currently fully operational.

Mr Chiroma said the PCN remained committed to ensuring that Nigerians had access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable medicines.

“The public is strongly advised to obtain medicines exclusively from premises licensed by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria,” he said.

(NAN)