Update from the Registry – January 01, 2021

Dear Colleagues

UPDATE FROM THE REGISTRY

On behalf of the management and staff of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, I wish all practitioners in the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Industry a happy, prosperous and crisis free 2021. I pray that this year would be one where we not only excel but recover all we might have lost in 2020.

As we can see, Nigeria alongside other countries of the world are currently battling the second wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic. As major players in the frontlines of this crucial battle, we can’t afford to let down our guards. I implore all colleagues in all areas of practice, to lead from the front as we battle this deadly scourge conclusively.

Registration and Licensing activities for this year starts today. I encourage all Pharmacists to complete their individual and premises registration formalities promptly. The Council is set to roll out some cutting edge innovations this year which will only be accessible to colleagues with current licensure.

In the month of December, the 2020 Foreign Pharmacist Graduate Orientation Programme (FPGOP) examination took place from December 7 – 11, 2020, in six (6) assigned universities. PCN Registry appreciates the host Deans, Faculty management and participants for the smooth conduct of the programme.

In line with the mandate of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria to ensure a safe pharmaceutical environment for delivery of good health to Nigeria as a nation, the National Enforcement Team of the PCN visited Ebonyi State in the month of December, 2020, on enforcement activities. During the exercise, 3 Pharmacies and 345 Patent Medicine Shops (PMS) were sealed for poor compliance with PCN regulatory provisions, while 5 compliance directives were issued to others for minor offences.

The PCN wishes to convey the following drug information to all Pharmacists and the general public, as received from authorities in United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), through the Federal Ministry of Health.

The USFDA warns all persons on the distribution and consumption of three (3) brands of hand sanitizers manufactured by a Mexican firm (Eskbiochem SA de CV) which include All-clean Sanitizer, CleanCare NonGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer, and the Good Gel Antibacterial Gel Hand Sanitizer. These sanitizers contain large amount of poisonous methanol or wood alcohol, and Methanol is toxic when absorbed through the skin, or ingested, and could also cause organ and brain damage with fatal consequences.

Furthermore, Turkish Authorities via Turkish Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency had withdrawn Vancomax 1000mg I.V (Batch Number 29537 and barcode 8699844791414) from circulation, due to the product’s broken integrity of series.

In view of the above, all pharmaceutical premises, patent medicine shops, and other facilities should not stock any of these products, and if already in stock, they should be removed and sent to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

In a bid to further strengthen the systems and structures of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, a three-day workshop involving some key staff of PCN was held in the month of December, in collaboration with Promoting Quality of Medicines Plus (PQM+). The objective was to disseminate findings and action plan for the assessment of the quality tools developed for PCN activity.

On a rather sad note, On behalf of the entire management and staff of the PCN, I wish to express our sincere condolence to the family of our dear colleague, Pharm. Sam Nda-Isaiah, the Founder of the Leadership group, Publishers of LEADERSHIP Newspapers who died on Saturday, 12th December, 2020. We pray God grants his family the fortitude to bare this irreparable loss.

As we enter this year, I pray that all our heartfelt desires as a Profession would be achieved as I hereby restate my commitment to providing a conducive practice environment for all practitioners in the Nigerian Pharmaceutical industry. Do not hesitate to reach out to me on pcnig@yahoo.ca or elijah.mohammed@pcn.gov.ng with your complaints, suggestions and insights. Together, we shall berth the profession of our dreams

Happy New Year!!!

Pharm. N. A. E. Mohammed, Ph.D, FPSN, FNIM, FPCPharm, FNAPharm

Registrar