No less than 264 medicine stores have been sealed in Enugu State by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria. The 264 outlets which were sealed were made up of 52 pharmacy shops and 212 patent medicine stores.
The Director of the Inspection and Monitoring Department of PCN, Mrs. Anthonia Aruya, disclosed this at a press briefing in Enugu, stating that the concerned outlets were sealed due to failure to comply with the stipulated required standards for dispensing drugs to the public.
She stated that five persons were arrested during the inspection exercise in the state.
According to Aruya, the raid which was conducted is in line with the council’s determination to close all outlets where ethical drugs are sold, distributed or dispensed without the registration licenses or in-house pharmacists.
She further stated that some of the premises store products in environments where the quality, safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical produces cannot be guaranteed, thus exposing the public to danger. She said that others do not have the requisite knowledge or know-how to handle the ethical drugs in their facilities.
“The location has to be approved. We don’t want a drug store in a market. It should have the right storage facilities to preserve the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic integrity of the medicines. Also, pharmacies are meant to have pharmacists” – Aruya stated.
