The Government Inspectorate has just made public the names of six pharmaceutical companies found to be trading illegal products.
Vietnam drug firms accused of selling addictive drugs
Imexpharm Pharmaceutical JSC sold over four million Nucofed drugs that contain addictive substances from 2010 to 2011. This company also sold seven types of drugs containing addictive substances to Cambodia without the Ministry of Health's or the custom's permits.
Tripaco Company was found to have mistakenly sold 400,000 of psychotropic drugs to people without doctors prescriptions while Satada-Vietnam Joint Venture Company sold hundreds of medicines without permits in 2011.
HCM City Medical Import and Export JSC sold 500 kg of unlicensed materials to Minh Hai Pharmaceutical Company. Minh Hai Company also wrongly sold 500,000 psychotropic drugs to people without doctors prescriptions and sold 5 million of Artenfes drugs through forged trading invoices. Ha Tay Pharmaceutical Company is also accused of selling 1.5 million medicines to wrong patients.
Previously, seven companies accused Truong Quoc Cuong, chief of the Drug Administration of Vietnam, of allowing pharmaceutical companies to import mass quantities of pseudoephedrine, however, Tran Duc Luong, Deputy Inspector General said the accusations were unfounded.
During the inspection, the government issued and revoked trade licenses or business permits. The procedure to review and issue operating licences for foreign enterprises is said to take longer than regulated.
Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies haven't fully applied the good practice standards (GPs).
The Government Inspectorate concluded that this problem was the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and asked the ministry to deal with its shortcomings in management activities and create favourable conditions for pharmaceutical enterprises.
Aside from these companies, the inspectors requested to punish four more companies, including Mediplantex National Pharmaceutical Company, Tien Giang Company, OPV Company and Ha Tay Pharmaceutical Company.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his agreement with the inspectors' conclusions.
