Pharmacy Council rejects counterfeit drug allegations

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has dismissed a media report alleging its involvement in counterfeit drug distribution, calling the claims “unfounded” and a “gross misrepresentation.”
The PCN is demanding an immediate retraction and public apology from the television outfit, accusing the station of violating broadcasting codes and damaging the council’s reputation.
In a strongly worded statement made available to Vanguard, the PCN clarified that comments made by the Director-General of NAFDAC, which formed the basis of the report, were taken out of context. They emphasised their ongoing collaboration with NAFDAC in combating illegal drug sales, citing the closure of major open drug markets as evidence of their commitment.
The PCN further highlighted its extensive enforcement efforts, including the closure of over 50,000 illegal drug outlets nationwide. The council is now urging NAFDAC to publicly clarify the matter and correct the misinformation.
The PCN maintained that the report titled “NAFDAC Implicates Pharmacy Council of Nigeria In Fake Medicines”, is a gross misrep­resentation of the remarks made by the director general of NAFDAC during a press interview aired on March 1, 2025.
According to the press statement signed by the Registrar/ CEO of PCN, Ibrahim Ba­bashehu Ahmed, the Council insisted that the director general’s comments were misinterpreted and taken out of context.
According to the PCN, a careful review of the interview confirms that at no point did the NAFDAC director-general accuse the Council of any wrongdoing. Instead, the interview underscored the com­plementary roles of both agencies in regulating medicines and com­bating counterfeit drugs.
The director general also provided historical context regarding the regulation of Patent and Proprietary Medicines Ven­dors (PPMVs), highlighting past inconsistencies that contributed to challenges in drug distribution.
The PCN emphasised its longstanding collaboration with NAFDAC, citing their joint efforts in shutting down illegal drug markets, including the recent closure of the Sabon Gari Open Drug Market (ODM) in Kano and the re­location of vendors to the Coor­dinated Wholesale Centre (CWC). The Council further detailed its achievements in tackling unreg­ulated medicine sales, including the closure of over 50,000 illegal drug outlets nationwide.
Expressing disappointment in the reportage, the PCN demand­ed an immediate retraction of the misleading headline and a public apology from the television sta­tion. It also called on the media to adhere to ethical journalism stan­dards, particularly when report­ing on matters of public health.
The Council however reassured Nigeri­ans of its commitment to ensuring safe and effective pharmaceutical services while continuing its col­laborative efforts with NAFDAC and other stakeholders to protect public health.
Meanwhile, the PCN expects that NAFDAC’s director general will clarify the misinformation, urging the public to rely on factual reports rather than misleading headlines.
The statement reads in part: “The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has taken notice of a misleading re­port by Africa Independent Tele­vision (AIT) with the headline “NAFDAC Implicates Pharmacy Council Of Nigeria In Fake Med­icines”. This headline is a gross misrepresentation of the infor­mation conveyed during a press interview by the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) aired on Sat­urday, 1 March 2025.”
Every attentive listener with a proper understanding of the com­munication by the DG will real­ise that the broadcast station has erred. This unfortunate action of the television station contradicts the Nigeria Broadcasting Code (6th Edition, 2016), specifically Section 5.0, subsection 5.1.2:
“The PCN is taken aback by the unprofessional act from one of the foremost television stations in this misrepresentation of facts.
We ex­pect an immediate retraction and a public apology.
“For emphasis, in the said press interview, the content of which is available in public do­main, the director general did not in any way implicate the PCN in any wrongdoing whatsoever. Apart from highlighting the com­plementary role of both agencies, the DG further delved into the historical perspective of how the Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors (PPMVs), which were cre­ated by statute to be a stop-gap to provide over-the-counter medi­cines in underserved areas, later became a problem as a result of the inconsistencies in the delega­tion of authority for regulating the PPMVs, as well as litigations that followed same.
“The PCN appreciates the collaborative relationship with NAFDAC, which resulted in the closure of the Sabon Gari Open Drug Market in Kano and the relocation of the same to the Coordinated Wholesales Centre (CWC). Let it be on record that the establishment of CWC, being an alternative facility where the mar­keters are moved to, rests square­ly with the PCN. The Council has never relented in pursuing this goal jointly with NAFDAC.
“Putting the DG’s interview in proper perspective, it can only be appropriately interpreted as the DG recognising that the Open Drug Market ought not to have been created in the first instance, except for the removal of regu­lation of the PPMVs from PCN at various times during which it was given to the States and later to the 774 local government coun­cils. All these anomalies of the past led to the degradation of the system, even before the authority was finally reverted to PCN by the Federal Government.
“Many took advantage of the situation during the era that the inconsistencies existed and erroneously assumed that med­icine vending is a form of trade and means of livelihood, thereby ushering in the chaotic situation that persisted for a long time.”
The statement further reads, “This was in addition to a myri­ad of litigations at the instance of the medicine vendors, which were finally tackled by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria in 2017, after which the Council resumed full-scale enforcement on illegal shops and premises. It is worthy of note that the passage of the PCN Act 2022 and regulations made there­under contributed in no small measure to strengthening the pharmaceutical regulatory pro­cess in the country.
“Between then and now, our enforcement activity has led to the closure of over 50,000 illegal medicine facilities, in addition to the closure of Sabon Gari Open Drug Market where 1,321 illegal premises were dislodged, as well as the closure of Gombe Open Drug Market and Kaduna, singlehandedly by PCN. PCN is also closely collaborating with NAFDAC in the ongoing enforce­ment to ensure compliance with regulatory standards in the Open Drug Markets in Lagos, Onitsha, and Aba.”
In addition, the statement reads, “The PCN plays a critical role in the promotion of public health at all times. Only last week, our officers embarked on a com­prehensive surveillance operation in the FCT during which they visited 230 Estates to close down all illegal premises and three PPMVs in these locations. We will contin­ue to work collaboratively with NAFDAC and other stakeholders to achieve this goal. Our distinct but complementary mandates are critical in ensuring the safety and well-being of the Nigerian public. While NAFDAC is responsible for drug registration and product quality, the PCN is responsible for regulating and controlling the training and practice of pharma­cy in all aspects and ramifications, including pharmacy technicians and patent and proprietary med­icines vendors.