Ministry of Health announces 21 types of counterfeit drugs and drugs circulating illegally on the market
Of the 21 products seized, four were identified as counterfeit drugs licensed for circulation by the Ministry of Health, including: Tetracycline, Clorocid, Pharcoter and Neo-Codion.
The Drug Administration of Vietnam (Ministry of Health) has just sent a document to the health departments of provinces and cities warning about counterfeit drugs and drugs illegally circulating on the market after a large-scale counterfeit drug production and consumption network was dismantled by Thanh Hoa Police.
Of the 21 products seized, four were identified as counterfeit drugs licensed for circulation by the Ministry of Health, including: Tetracycline, Clorocid, Pharcoter and Neo-Codion.
The Drug Administration of Vietnam requests local health departments and health sectors to urgently and widely notify drug businesses and facilities not to trade, sell, or use these counterfeit products.
Specifically, the labels of 4 counterfeit drugs contain the following information:
Clorocid TW3 Tablets(Chloramphenicol 250mg), Registration number: VD-25305-16; Manufacturer: TW3 Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, packaged in plastic bottles of 400 tablets.
Tetracycline TW3 Tablets(Tetracycline hydrochloride 250mg), Registration number: VD-28109-17; Manufacturer: Central Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company 3, packaged in plastic bottles of 400 tablets.
Pharcoter tablets(Codein base 10mg; Terpin hydrate 100mg), Registration number: VD-14429-11; Manufacturer: Central Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company 1 (Pharbaco), packaged in plastic bottles of 400 tablets.
Counterfeit Neo-Codion Drug Product. This drug does not have any information on the label. However, the Drug Administration of Vietnam said that the drug Neo-Codion, licensed by the Ministry of Health, has the following official information: license number 300111082223 (old registration number: VN-18966-15); active ingredient Codein base (in the form of Codein camphosulfonate 25mg) 14.93mg; Sulfogaiacol 100mg; Grindelia soft extract 20mg; dosage form is sugar-coated tablets; packaged in boxes of 2 blisters x 10 tablets. Manufacturer: Sophartex Company (France), address: 21, rue du Pressoir, Vernouillet, 28500.
The remaining 16 products do not match any drugs on the list that have been granted a registration license by the Ministry of Health. The list includes: Rheumatoid arthritis; Tui Hua Shen Jing Tong (Singaporean degenerative medicine); Cordyceps sinensis, ginseng, velvet antler, spleen and appetite stimulant; Professor's Pil (green joints); Mujarhabat Kapsul (red joints); Gai cot hoan...
In addition to publishing and warning about the list of counterfeit drugs, the Ministry of Health requires hospitals to review the drug procurement and supply process, ensuring that they only use drugs with circulation licenses, provided from legal sources and with full invoices and documents.
When detecting suspicious or unlicensed drugs, it is necessary to immediately seal them, stop using them and report to the authorities for handling according to regulations.
People are advised to only buy medicine at legal businesses, avoid using medicine of unknown origin and report any suspicious signs of counterfeit medicine to authorities.
Localities need to set up hotlines to receive information about counterfeit and smuggled drugs to trace their origins and strictly handle violations.