Illegal Medicine Shops Risk N2m Fine, Says PCN

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has said that illegal operators of pharmacy shops and patent medicine outlets across the country will henceforth be made to pay a N2 million fine.

It said that 110 persons have so far been arrested this year and are facing various charges for violation of pharmacy regulatory laws of the country.
Registrar of the PCN, Mr. Baba-Shehu Ahmed, disclosed this at the weekend in Abuja while briefing journalists on the implications of the new PCN Establishment Act (2022) assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Part of the changes introduced in the new PCN law is the upward review of fines for offenders, which was increased from N250,000 to N2 million.
While responding to questions on the performance of the council, with regards to its enforcement of compliance to standards and laid down practices in the sector, Ahmed said that a lot of impacts has been made to ensure that people respect the set rules.

He said that so far the PCN enforcement team has visited a total of 27,262 facilities across the country.  
He said: “Out of this number, we have closed down a total of 19,059. From among these, 1,780 were places operating illegally as pharmaceutical premises.
“Also 16,502 are patent medicine shops. Over this period, a total of 110 persons were arrested and are at various stages of prosecution. In the last quarter we have carried out enforcement in Oyo, Ogun states and are currently in Kogi State,” he explained.

Ahmed also said a total of 57 pharmacies were sealed in Oyo State, while 335 patent medicine shops were sealed, another 25 pharmacies were shut down in Ogun State during the team’s inspection and 317 Patent Medicine shops closed down.
According to the PCN Registrar, enforcement activities began after a proposal to set up an Enforcement Department in the Council was approved by the Head of Service of the Federation in 2018.

He also spoke on the new powers given to his office under the new PCN law, among which is the power to withdraw the operating licence of any defaulting pharmacy outlets.
In this regard, Ahmed said that it would enable the council to have an effective grip on the activities of pharmacy shops and ensure that they play according to the rules.

Chairman of the Board of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), Prof. Ahmed Tijani Mora, described the new Act as very apt as it came at a time when there was a clamour for adherence to global best practices.
Speaking on the aspect of the new PCN Act that granted stiffer penalties for defaulters, Mora said that the intention is not punitive but to act as a corrective measure that will sanitise the profession.
“The Council is a regulatory agency. We are not a profit-making organisation and we are corrective, not punitive. In every organisation, we have deviants and that is why we have investigative panels and disciplinary tribunals to ensure that those deviants are brought to book.

“So, the fines are meant to act as a deterrent; so, people will not fall short of the minimum standard expected from them. We are dealing with drugs and this is because the issue is about life and death and a manufacturer of the wrong medication can kill hundreds of people at once. We have zero tolerance when it comes to the quality of drugs in the market,” he explained.

While explaining the role of PCN in drug production and distribution in the country, Mora said that both NAFDAC and PCN are required to undertake separate inspections of drug manufacturing facilities to ensure strict compliance with standards.

Similarly, he said that before an educational institution is granted accreditation, the two organisations must carry out an inspection and evaluation of their facilities.

He said that institutions offering training of pharmacy professionals have been on the increase, adding the country now has about 219 universities teaching the course.

“Out of this number, we are happy to say that today we have 23 universities with approved Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree and Doctor of Pharmacy Degree programmes and more are in the pipeline, awaiting accreditation and approval,” he added.