Expat-run Pharmaceutical Firm For Repacking, Selling Medicines Illegally Sized

In line with the decision to prevent the import of medicines, nutritional supplements, herbs and medicinal plants via express mail, and not to release any consignment of this nature by the customs unless after obtaining the approval of the Department of Registration and Control of Medicinal Plants and Medicines, the Ministry of Health has dealt a severe blow to a pharmaceutical firm run by a group of expatriates which attempted to tamper with the health security in the country, reports Al-Rai daily.

According to the daily, the Undersecretary for Drug and Food Control Affairs at the Ministry of Health, Dr Abdullah Al-Bader, announced the seizure of the pharmaceutical company that imports large quantities of pills and capsules in the name of food supplements and vitamins and re-pack them in empty containers and places new stickers in serious violation of the provisions of Law No. 28 of 1996 regulating the profession of pharmacy and the circulation of drugs.

Al-Bader stressed the law in the State of Kuwait obliges all companies to supply medicines only after obtaining the certificate of approval from the Department of Registration and Drug Control.

The law also states the medicines distributed should be in their original packing done inside the factory in the country of origin according to the specifications stipulated by the Ministry of Health in Kuwait, in order to ensure the safety of medicines and to ensure the correctness of medicinal components.

He pointed out the Medicines Inspection Department headed by pharmacist Adel Al Salem put the company under surveillance and after ensuring the products available in the pharmacies were dubious a team of inspectors raided the company’s headquarters which resulted in identifying gross violations, such as re-packing the drugs in new packages and preparing them for sale in pharmacies and storing them in places not licensed by the Ministry.

Al-Bader added the inspection team summoned the CID men to the company’s site to take legal measures against those in charge — a group of expatriates, especially it was found that the company illegally ‘snuggled’ these materials into the country with the help of some customs clearance offices. He pointed out that samples were sent to drug control laboratories for examination and knowing the validity of safety of these drugs.

 

SOURCE : ARABTIMES

Comments Post Comment

Leave a Comment

Submit