Illustrative photo. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has imposed penalties on multiple pharmacies after inspections revealed a range of violations.
According to decisions issued on May 30, Thanh Mau Pharmacy, located at 355 Dien Bien Phu Street, District 3, committed six violations.
First, the person in charge of professional operations was absent during business hours without authorisation as required by law. Second, the pharmacy failed to maintain records or use a computer system to manage the import, sale, and storage of drugs, including tracking batch numbers, expiration dates, and origins. Third, it sold prescription medications without requiring prescriptions. Fourth, the pharmacy did not isolate or store separate drugs of unknown origin. Fifth, it traded medicines that were not registered for circulation. Sixth, it dealt with products of unclear origin.
For these violations, Thanh Mau Pharmacy was fined VND 46.5 million (approximately USD 1,800). Authorities also suspended the pharmacist's professional licence for 4.5 months and ordered the destruction of expired and unregistered medicines and those of unknown origin.
Phuc Minh 1 Pharmacy on Mac Thien Tich Street in District 5 was fined VND 20.8 million (approximately USD 800) for selling prescription-only drugs without prescriptions and trading products with unknown origin. The pharmacy was also required to destroy untraceable Cefixim 200 and Polydeson drugs and to forfeit VND 17.6 million (approximately USD 700) in illicit profits.
Another pharmacy on Nguyen Duy Duong Street in District 10, managed by Pham Nguyen Thanh, was fined VND 20 million (approximately USD 770) for selling prescription drugs without requiring a prescription.
Earlier, Dantri reporters visited numerous pharmacies citywide and monitored their online activities, discovering that many still illegally sold special-control medications without prescriptions or questions. In most cases, customers could obtain these regulated drugs simply by paying.
An HCM City Department of Health representative acknowledged the ongoing complexity of illegal sales of regulated medicines, both at physical stores and online. The department said it continues to enforce inspections and will take strict action against those who knowingly violate regulations, putting public health at risk.