5 arrested, 405 shops sealed over illegal medicine in Calabar

Five persons have been arrested for dealing with illegal medicine in Calabar, Cross River State.

The suspects were arrested by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) who also sealed 405 shops for violating pharmaceutical council rules.

Briefing journalists at the conference hall of the Federal Secretariat in Calabar, on Friday, Pharmacist Stephen Esumobi, PCN’s Director of Enforcement, said the suspects broke the Council’s seal.

Esumobi said the breakthrough was made after the PCN inspectors from the national enforcement team visited the state, adding that the premises will remain shut until the council is convinced of the owners’ readiness to address lapses observed in their operations.

The PCN’s Director of Enforcement also disclosed that the council visited 500 premises comprising 84 pharmacies out of which he said the team identified 216 patent medicine shops and 200 illegal premises.

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According to him, “A total of four hundred and five premises have been sealed, including 31 pharmacies, 174 patent medicine shops, and 200 illegal medicine shops.

“Five compliance directives were issued, while five illegal medicine dealers were arrested for breaking Pharmacy Council of Nigeria’s seal.”

He attributed inadequate handling of pharmaceutical products as one major factor contributing to the poor quality of medicines in the pharmaceutical distribution chain.

Adding that “The storage conditions in most of these premises are very poor, and there is a high possibility that many of the products in those premises are degraded due to exposure to harsh environmental factors like high temperature, humidity and direct sunlight.”