PCN seals 505 illegal drug outlets in Cross River

The Nigeria — Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) conducted a four-day enforcement exercise across 10 local government areas in Cross River State, Nigeria, inspecting 602 medicine outlets. The operation found that 48.3% of outlets were operating illegally, leading to the sealing of 505 premises, including 291 illegal outlets, 54 pharmacies, and 160 patent medicine stores. Only 42.5% of pharmacies and 26.8% of patent medicine vendors met regulatory standards. Violations included operating without valid licences, poor drug storage, unauthorized sale of controlled medicines, and illegal apprenticeship training. The PCN warned that such practices encourage substandard and falsified medicines, leading to treatment failure, antimicrobial resistance, and increased healthcare costs. The enforcement was carried out under the directive of PCN Registrar Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed and supported by the Nigeria — Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2022. A recent conviction of Ezea Isidora Kamchukwube, who was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment by the Nigeria — Federal High Court of Nigeria for operating unlicensed medicine shops, was cited as evidence of the council's enforcement now carrying legal weight.