Pharmacy Council shuts 581 pharmacy and patent medicine stores in Adamawa

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 581 pharmacy and patent medicine shops across Adamawa State following a recent inspection. During a briefing held at the council’s Yola office, officials revealed that a total of 816 shops were visited in the process.

Stephen Esumobi, the Director of Enforcement for the PCN, led the briefing along with several state, zonal, and national officials. He detailed that among the sealed establishments were 35 pharmacies, 325 patent medicine shops, and 221 illegal medicine outlets. Esumobi explained that the inspections aimed to identify defaulting shops from a total of 816, which included 98 pharmacies and 497 patent medicine stores.

The enforcement director cited various reasons for the closures, highlighting significant breaches of existing laws and regulations. “Many of the premises were not registered with the PCN, and several registered patent medicine vendors were operating well beyond the limits of their licenses,” he stated. Additionally, he noted that numerous pharmacies lacked qualified superintendent pharmacists and that many shops were located in inappropriate areas.