‘Chemists Can’t Sell Cough Syrup With Codeine’

REGULATORY body, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has warned that Medicine Vendors known as “Chemists”  cannot sell cough syrup with codeine to members of the public.

PCN Registrar, Pharmacist Elijah Mohammed in signed statement today noted, “It is appropriate to state in clear terms that, codeine containing cough preparations are not in the approved Medicines List that Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors are to sell”

His statement was directed to the Medicine Vendors during a meeting held with the leadership of the Vendors on Monday following the Ministerial directive for recall of codeine syrup in the market.

Consequently, the Registrar said it has begun the enforcement of recall process of all cough syrup with codeine in Ogun, Sokoto, Adamawaand Nassarawa States from Monday May 14 and hopes to conclude the exercise by May 30, 2018.

As a way to ensure strict compliance and that the exercise is successful, Mohammed assured ” the PCN enforcement team has been strengthened “.

He said PCN in collaboration with Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria has also reached an agreement to develop a smooth and workable  recall process