31 August 2005
FEATURE: BFAD: Doctors to blame for proliferation of counterfeit medicines
SOME doctors are themselves abetting the proliferation of counterfeit medicines which are being marketed clandestinely by a syndicate.
Dr. Reynaldo Jacinto, chief of the Standards Regulation Division of BFAD in Region 1, said if doctors are not buying counterfeit medicines to be sold to their patients at higher margin of profit, there would be no demand for these.
Jacinto and Renato Padilla, Food and Drugs Regulation Officer III, were in Dagupan since Sunday to help the National Bureau of Investigation inventory the P3 million worth of counterfeit medicines seized from an Indian national and his driver along the road in barangay Tapuac, Dagupan City last Saturday.
There were at least 84 items of pharmaceutical products seized from Ramchand Dayaldas, 46, of Lubao, Pampanga: and Reynaldo Lozano, 41, of Guagua, Pampanga, all originating from the United States, Canada, China, India, Thailand and Pakistan, and possibly smuggled through the country’s backdoors.
Lawyer Jose Doloiras,, chief of the NBI in Pangasinan, said the suspects will be charged with violation of Republic Act No. 8203 as these were imported, unregistered medicines with counterpart brands in the Philippines; and violations of RA 3720 for selling/distributing pharmaceutical products without license to operate as drug distributors and for selling/distributing pharmaceuticals that are adulterated and unbranded.
They will also be charged with violating the anti-drugs law because among the items seized were several vials of valium which is a restricted and unregulated drugs and use or possession of the same is legal only through doctors’ prescription.
Jacinto said couriers of the syndicate are selling the counterfeit medicines to the doctors at a much, much lower price. In turn, they sell these to their patients at a price almost the same as the genuine ones that can be sourced from drugstores, thus raking in huge profit from the transaction.
“The modus operandi is, the suppliers first offer the counterfeit medicines to doctors. And when these are already being widely used, that is the time they put their products in the drugstores for the patients’ succeeding purchases,” he said.
Jacinto said this is the reason the BFAD decided to seek the assistance of municipal and city governments so that they will pass ordinances banning local medical clinics from selling counterfeit medicines to their patients.
“This is because we are in a peculiar situation wherein a medical clinic is not licensed by the department of health. The drug store is licensed by the DoF through the BFAD whereas the medical clinic is not,” he said.
He clarified that what is licensed by way of a business permit issued by the mayor is the treatment service of the medical clinic. Such clinic, he said, is not supposed to sell drugs and neither is the doctor allowed to sell drugs.
As embodied in the Generic Act enacted by Congress during the term of Health Secretary Alfredo Bengzon, doctors are prohibited from selling or dispensing medicines except prescribing the same to their patients after they had diagnosed the ailments.
The prescription should be brought to the drug store where the medicine can be bought. A person can be charged under Republic 8203 if he can not show any prescription, invoice or receipt for counterfeit medicines found in his or her possession, Jacinto emphasized. (PNA)
Dr. Reynaldo Jacinto, chief of the Standards Regulation Division of BFAD in Region 1, said if doctors are not buying counterfeit medicines to be sold to their patients at higher margin of profit, there would be no demand for these.
Jacinto and Renato Padilla, Food and Drugs Regulation Officer III, were in Dagupan since Sunday to help the National Bureau of Investigation inventory the P3 million worth of counterfeit medicines seized from an Indian national and his driver along the road in barangay Tapuac, Dagupan City last Saturday.
There were at least 84 items of pharmaceutical products seized from Ramchand Dayaldas, 46, of Lubao, Pampanga: and Reynaldo Lozano, 41, of Guagua, Pampanga, all originating from the United States, Canada, China, India, Thailand and Pakistan, and possibly smuggled through the country’s backdoors.
Lawyer Jose Doloiras,, chief of the NBI in Pangasinan, said the suspects will be charged with violation of Republic Act No. 8203 as these were imported, unregistered medicines with counterpart brands in the Philippines; and violations of RA 3720 for selling/distributing pharmaceutical products without license to operate as drug distributors and for selling/distributing pharmaceuticals that are adulterated and unbranded.
They will also be charged with violating the anti-drugs law because among the items seized were several vials of valium which is a restricted and unregulated drugs and use or possession of the same is legal only through doctors’ prescription.
Jacinto said couriers of the syndicate are selling the counterfeit medicines to the doctors at a much, much lower price. In turn, they sell these to their patients at a price almost the same as the genuine ones that can be sourced from drugstores, thus raking in huge profit from the transaction.
“The modus operandi is, the suppliers first offer the counterfeit medicines to doctors. And when these are already being widely used, that is the time they put their products in the drugstores for the patients’ succeeding purchases,” he said.
Jacinto said this is the reason the BFAD decided to seek the assistance of municipal and city governments so that they will pass ordinances banning local medical clinics from selling counterfeit medicines to their patients.
“This is because we are in a peculiar situation wherein a medical clinic is not licensed by the department of health. The drug store is licensed by the DoF through the BFAD whereas the medical clinic is not,” he said.
He clarified that what is licensed by way of a business permit issued by the mayor is the treatment service of the medical clinic. Such clinic, he said, is not supposed to sell drugs and neither is the doctor allowed to sell drugs.
As embodied in the Generic Act enacted by Congress during the term of Health Secretary Alfredo Bengzon, doctors are prohibited from selling or dispensing medicines except prescribing the same to their patients after they had diagnosed the ailments.
The prescription should be brought to the drug store where the medicine can be bought. A person can be charged under Republic 8203 if he can not show any prescription, invoice or receipt for counterfeit medicines found in his or her possession, Jacinto emphasized. (PNA)
