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Monday, June 12, 2006
Interior execs, police ordered to help in anti-fake drugs drive
INTERIOR and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno has directed regional officials of the interior department and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to join forces with the health department and different local government leagues in cracking down hard on syndicates behind the proliferation of fake medicines in the market.
Puno stressed the need to choke the supply of counterfeit drugs in the market, following reports that such fake medicines continue to be widely available at bargain basement prices, with syndicates often preying on low-income earners.
"These fake medicines pose a serious threat to the health of our people," Puno said. "I have directed our officials and the PNP to coordinate efforts with the health department, the Bureau of Food and Drugs (Bfad) and different local government leagues to address the proliferation of fake drugs in the communities," he added.
Puno issued the directive in response to observations made by some senators during the plenary deliberations on the interior department's proposed budget for 2006 on the urgency of checking the problem by way of an all-out campaign against fake drugs at the local government level.
The interior secretary said there is a need to educate consumers on the dangers of buying fake drugs and to encourage them to buy only from reliable drug stores.
He noted that as with the war against crime, the campaign against fake medicines can only succeed with the strong support of local communities, whose leaders can help by reporting to authorities any information that they might come across pertaining to sources or suppliers of these bogus drugs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that between six to 10 percent of medicines in the world market are counterfeit, with sales pegged at over US$35 billion a year. The problem, according to the WHO, is most serious in developing countries.
The telltale signs of counterfeit drugs are their rock-bottom prices, along with poor printing quality of their packages and spelling errors on the packaging.
Counterfeit medicines can result in a prolonged illness or and even death, the WHO has warned. (PR/DILG/Sunnex)
(June 12, 2006 issue)
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