Pharmaceutical council closes 666 drug shops in Kaduna

The Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) has shut down 666 illegal drug shops in Kaduna and Zaria city for operating unlawfully. Pharm. Stephen Esumobi, Director of Enforcement at the PCN, revealed the crackdown during a news briefing on Thursday. He reported that 895 premises were inspected across the state.

The council’s actions came in response to various violations, including the sale of medicines in open drug markets, operating without PCN registration, poor documentation, inadequate storage facilities and the stocking of ethical products without proper pharmacist supervision.

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Esumobi said the council had previously engaged with relevant stakeholders, including medicine dealers in open drug markets in Zaria and Kaduna, urging them to relocate to registered locations or coordinated wholesale centres in line with the National Drug Distribution Guidelines.

“During this enforcement exercise, which began earlier this week, we visited 895 premises, comprising 75 pharmacies, 514 patent medicine shops, and 306 illegal sites. Of these, 666 premises were sealed, including 47 pharmacies, 313 patent medicine shops and 306 unregistered medicine shops,” he said.