By Lade Jean Kabagani | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte said people selling counterfeit medicines online, including injectable drugs for treating COVID-19, should be properly prosecuted.
“It is important that the source of the fake or counterfeited drug para (should be) pinpointed or known, kasi (because) we have to warn the citizens about these fake drugs or counterfeited drugs at saka itong mga tao (and these) are prosecuted at magkaroon ng kaso kasi kung nasa labas ang mga taong ito (and face charges because if they remain free), they will continue their practice if we will be lenient about it,” the President said during his Talk to the People televised Monday night, Feb. 7.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has again cautioned the public against patronizing counterfeit injectable COVID-19 vaccines and fake medicines.
FDA officer-in-charge Oscar Gutierrez said a fake Tocilizumab injection for COVID-19 treatment is being sold for about P25,000 per vial.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Gutierrez said its commercial price range reached around P70,000 to P90,000 per vial but it is not duly approved by the FDA.
Gutierrez urged the public to only buy medicines from FDA-licensed drug stores and pharmacies.
“If possible, buy from the same outlets you trust each time,” Gutierrez said, noting that counterfeit medicines usually have poor packaging conditions, spelling mistakes, and erroneous grammar.
He said one should know that the manufacturing date and expiry date on the outer packaging of counterfeit medicines do not match the information on its inner packaging.
Gutierrez said any medicine should only be sourced from FDA-licensed establishments.
Duterte added that there has to be somebody from the FDA that would keep track of the criminal cases filed against these counterfeit sellers.
Gutierrez, meanwhile, noted that FDA has a regulatory enforcement unit, that looks into cases, in coordination with the government security enforcers, to make sure that violators would be penalized or imprisoned.
“Ang trabaho ninyo (Your job) does not end with the arrest, it’s not even complete by just saying that you have gathered all the fake drugs, it includes the prosecution,” Duterte said. “I have yet to see a conviction of people who are into this kind of activity.”
Gutierrez said a total of 85 persons were arrested in the last two years for selling counterfeit drugs. (PNA) – bny
