PCN Seals 430 Pharmaceutical Premises in Yobe During Four-Day Enforcement Exercise

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 430 pharmaceutical premises in Yobe State following a four-day enforcement exercise conducted across 10 local government areas of the state.

The exercise involved the inspection of 601 pharmaceutical premises, including pharmacies, Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendor (PPMV) outlets and unregistered medicine outlets, according to the PCN.

Speaking during a briefing in Damaturu, Yobe State, the Head of Enforcement at the PCN, Suleiman Chiroma, said the exercise uncovered widespread regulatory breaches and illegal operations across the areas visited.

According to the council, the inspected premises comprised 34 pharmacies, 267 PPMV outlets and 300 unregistered or illegal medicine outlets.

The PCN sealed all 300 unregistered outlets, alongside 110 PPMV stores and 20 pharmacies, bringing the total number of premises sealed during the exercise to 430.

The council also issued 21 compliance directives to premises found with violations requiring corrective action.

PCN reports widespread compliance gaps

Chiroma said approximately 50 per cent of the 601 premises inspected were operating illegally, highlighting what the council described as significant regulatory concerns within the state's pharmaceutical sector.

The inspection also found compliance gaps among licensed operators.

According to the PCN, only 41 per cent of the pharmacies inspected met the required regulatory standards, while 63 per cent of PPMV outlets were found to be compliant.

Among the violations identified were operating without valid PCN licences, poor storage conditions, unauthorised access to controlled medicines and the involvement of unqualified persons in medicine dispensing.

The council said such practices undermine efforts to ensure that medicines are stored, supplied and dispensed in accordance with regulatory requirements.

Enforcement covered 10 local government areas

The enforcement operation covered Damaturu, Jakusko, Potiskum, Fika, Fune, Nguru, Nangere, Bade, Karasuwa and Machina local government areas.

The PCN said the exercise was conducted as part of its regulatory responsibilities under the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria Establishment Act 2022, which provides the legal framework for regulating pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical premises in Nigeria.

Chiroma also drew attention to the relatively small number of pharmacies identified during the exercise.

Of the 601 premises inspected, only 34 were pharmacies, representing about six per cent of the facilities visited.

He said the figure pointed to limited availability of formal pharmacy services in the areas covered by the exercise.

Council highlights medicine safety concerns

The PCN linked several of the observed regulatory breaches to potential risks to medicine safety.

Chiroma warned that inadequate storage, unauthorised access to controlled medicines and dispensing by unqualified persons could contribute to problems including medicine misuse and treatment failure.

He also identified the potential contribution of inappropriate medicine practices to antimicrobial resistance, while unauthorised access to controlled medicines presents additional public health and regulatory concerns.

The council said enforcement activities would continue as part of efforts to improve compliance among pharmaceutical premises and address the operation of unregistered outlets.

The PCN urged members of the public to obtain medicines from licensed pharmaceutical premises and to verify that the premises display valid regulatory licences.

The Yobe enforcement exercise is part of broader regulatory activity by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria aimed at identifying illegal pharmaceutical operations and improving compliance with standards governing the handling, storage and supply of medicines.