PCN shuts down over 500 drug stores in Cross River, shares reasons

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has raised alarms about how drugs are sold in Cross River State. After checking 10 local government areas, they found that 48.3 percent of medicine outlets were operating without proper licenses.

The Council has sealed 505 pharmaceutical outlets for breaking the rules. They called the situation a serious threat to public health and the safety of the medicine supply chain.

At a press conference on Friday in Calabar, PCN’s Director of Enforcement, Suleiman Chiroma, shared these results. The findings came from a four-day operation in Cross River.

Mr Chiroma explained that the operation was carried out under the orders of the PCN Registrar, Ibrahim Ahmed. They inspected areas like Bekwara, Yakurr, Obubra, Ikom, Yala, Ogoja, Akamkpa, Odukpani, Calabar Municipal, and Calabar South.

Inspectors went to 602 locations, which included 94 pharmacies, 217 Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendor (PPMV) stores, and 291 illegal medicine shops. "Five hundred and five outlets were sealed, including 54 pharmacies, 160 PPMV stores, and all 291 illegal shops, while 13 compliance directives were issued," he said.

Mr Chiroma noted that illegal outlets made up 48.3 percent of the places inspected and accounted for 57.8 percent of all the sealed locations during the operation. "Only 42.5 percent of pharmacies inspected followed the rules, while compliance among PPMV stores was at 26.8 percent," he added.

Every illegal outlet found was closed according to the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2022. Mr Chiroma pointed out that the main violations included operating without valid PCN licenses, poor medicine storage, unauthorized access to controlled drugs, and illegal apprenticeship training.

He warned that these practices promote the spread of substandard and fake medicines. This can lead to treatment failures, antimicrobial resistance, avoidable deaths, and higher healthcare costs. "Uncontrolled access to regulated medicines could also lead to criminal activities, posing risks to national security," he said.

He recalled a recent case where a woman connected to two pharmacies in Calabar was sentenced to eight years in prison for similar violations.

Mr Chiroma urged the public to buy medicines only from PCN-licensed stores and to check for valid licenses before purchasing any drugs. He reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to ongoing enforcement to protect the pharmaceutical supply chain and to support Universal Health Coverage through access to safe, effective, and quality-assured medicines.