28 September 2005
DOH still blowing hot on fake drugs
ONE more drugstore in Pangasinan was padlocked by the Department of Health last week after it was found selling fake 100 milligram Viagra tablets and for having an expired license to operate as a pharmacy.
Dr. Reynaldo Jacinto, chief of the enforcement and regulation division of the DOH regional office, said personnel of his office inspected the drugstore.
He warned people buying Viagra tablets to be more careful as owners of drugstores may take advantage of them by giving them the fake product instead of the genuine.
This was the second drugstore close by DOH so far. The first was last month in Alaminos City where lawmen, spearheaded by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) seized P600,000 worth of counterfeit medicines and prescription drug called valium.
The owner of the drugstore was the sixth suspect so far arrested and charged since the intensified campaign against counterfeit and fake medicines started.
Jacinto vowed there is no let-up in their operations against counterfeit and or fake medicines in the province which is being tagged as the favorite dumping ground for these banned commodities.
The operations were joined not only by the PDEA but also the National Bureau of Investigation and the police.
The counterfeit and or fake medicines were said to be coming from Region III and Metro Manila. The counterfeit products were labeled to make it appear these came from the United States, Canada, China, Thailand, India and Pakistan.
Only the distributors and retailers of these products have so far been arrested by lawmen. The brains behind the syndicate are yet to be unmasked.
Jacinto earlier said that lawmen now have names of doctors in the provinces of Pangasinan and Ilocos Sur to whom the counterfeit medicines were being sold at exceptionally low prices but DOH-BFAD has refused to reveal their names.
Dr. Reynaldo Jacinto, chief of the enforcement and regulation division of the DOH regional office, said personnel of his office inspected the drugstore.
He warned people buying Viagra tablets to be more careful as owners of drugstores may take advantage of them by giving them the fake product instead of the genuine.
This was the second drugstore close by DOH so far. The first was last month in Alaminos City where lawmen, spearheaded by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) seized P600,000 worth of counterfeit medicines and prescription drug called valium.
The owner of the drugstore was the sixth suspect so far arrested and charged since the intensified campaign against counterfeit and fake medicines started.
Jacinto vowed there is no let-up in their operations against counterfeit and or fake medicines in the province which is being tagged as the favorite dumping ground for these banned commodities.
The operations were joined not only by the PDEA but also the National Bureau of Investigation and the police.
The counterfeit and or fake medicines were said to be coming from Region III and Metro Manila. The counterfeit products were labeled to make it appear these came from the United States, Canada, China, Thailand, India and Pakistan.
Only the distributors and retailers of these products have so far been arrested by lawmen. The brains behind the syndicate are yet to be unmasked.
Jacinto earlier said that lawmen now have names of doctors in the provinces of Pangasinan and Ilocos Sur to whom the counterfeit medicines were being sold at exceptionally low prices but DOH-BFAD has refused to reveal their names.
