The Government Inspectorate has requested the Ministry of Public Security to apply penalties to six pharmaceutical companies for misconducts.
Imexpharm allegedly smuggled drugs to Cambodia
Deputy Chief Government Inspector Tran Duc Luong signed off on a report of investigation over pharmaceutical production and trading in the country on January 12.
In the report, the Government Inspectorate urged the Ministry of Public Security to work out solution to Imexpharm Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, in the southern province of Dong Thap, for allegedly smuggling psychotropic and illicit drug precursors into Cambodia without a license from the Ministry of Health.
The agency is also investigating five other drugs firms and will send their dossiers to the ministry to figure out a solution to the problem.
The ministry was also required to penalise seven drug firms that slandered Director of the Ministry of Health’s Drug Administration of Vietnam, Truong Quoc Cuong.
Violations of Law on Drug Prevention and Control
The report showed that, in addition to Imexpharm, five other drugs firms were found to be violating the law.
Tien Giang Pharmaceutical Company apparently sold nearly 415,000 tablets of a psychotropic drug under the brand name of Phenobarbital 100 mg to wrong users.
The agency found that STADA-VN Joint Venture Co., Ltd sold 210 bottles of Partamol syrup with 30 miligrammes content of pseudoephedrin (PSE), as well as 240 boxes of Partamol-Codein with 30 miligrammes content of Codein phosphate, to Papua New Guinea without a license from the Ministry of Health.
Minh Hai Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company sold 501,100 tablets of a psychotropic drug under the brand name of Armicort, over four kilos of Phenobarbital, and 12.5 kilos of Ephedrine, without getting any license from the ministry, the agency said.
The agency also detected that HCM City Medical Import Export Joint Stock Company and Minh Hai Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company traded in 500 kilos of PSE precursors without a license.
Ha Tay Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company was found selling over 1.4 million tablets of Gardenal with 100 miligrammes content of Phenobarbital, equivalent to 149.5 kilos of Phenobarbital psychotropic substance to wrong users.
The agency requested that in addition to violating drug firms, the ministry cooperate with local departments of health to crack down on such activities.
Solutions to false accusations
According to the investigative agency, 16 denouncements by seven drugs firms, with accusations of wrongdoings by Truong Quoc Cuong, including repressing domestic pharmaceutical companies, taking bribes and registration violations are false and lack any proof.
The agency has required that the Ministry of Health penalise the seven firms, including Imexpharm, Agimexpharm Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, S.Pharm Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, Minh Hai Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, Tipharco Pharmaceutical Joint-Stock Company, Stata-VN, and Pymepharco Joint Stock Company.
Concerning their petitions that Deputy Minister of Health Cao Minh Quang borrowed money for wrongdoings, the investigative agency detected that there was a VND2 billion (USD95,075) transfer between Nguyen Ngan Quyen, an official of GlaxoSmithKline Pte.Ltd, Ngo Chi Dung, former Director of BV Pharma Joint Venture Company, and Nguyen Thi Ngoc Loan, wife of Cao Minh Quang.
According to the agency’s findings, the money borrowing was used for altering the expiry date of Cervarix, a type of vaccine for cervical cancer, circulated by GlaxoSmithKline.
The agency has sent the case to the Party's Central Committee's Commission of Inspection for further review.
