Ministry of Health issues warning about suspected counterfeit eye drops

(Dan Tri) - The Drug Administration of Vietnam (Ministry of Health) has issued a warning about suspected counterfeit eye drops from Novartis Vietnam.

The Drug Administration of Vietnam ( Ministry of Health ) has just issued an official dispatch on verifying and handling information related to suspected counterfeit eye drops of Novartis Vietnam Company Limited.

According to the official dispatch sent to the Department of Health of provinces and cities and Novartis Vietnam, the Drug Administration of Vietnam said it had received Official Dispatch No. PHAR QA 14035-08-25/25 dated August 25 from Novartis Vietnam. The company reported 4 cases of suspected counterfeit drugs in July 2025, based on feedback from consumers.

Products include Tobrex 5ml: lot VEE90A (confirmed counterfeit), lot VEE98C (suspected counterfeit); Maxitrol 5ml: lot VFD09A (suspected counterfeit), TobraDex 5ml: Lot VHN07A (suspected counterfeit).

Through verification, Novartis Vietnam confirmed that the Tobrex 5ml batch (VEE90A) is fake, and at the same time suspected that the remaining batches are not genuine.

According to the Drug Administration of Vietnam, all three products are eye drops, commonly prescribed to treat eye inflammation and infections.

Counterfeit drug samples are warned (Photo: Drug Administration of Vietnam).

To ensure safety, the Drug Administration of Vietnam requests local Departments of Health to notify drug businesses and users and people not to buy, sell, or use the above batches of drugs (as shown in the attached image). If discovered, immediately report to the Department of Health and relevant authorities for handling.

Departments of Health also need to strictly implement Directive 13/CT-TTg (May 17, 2025) and Plan 614/KH-BYT (May 13, 2025) on combating smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods; coordinate communication, recommend only buying drugs at legal establishments, not using drugs of unknown origin, and reporting signs of suspected counterfeit drugs.

For Novartis Vietnam , the company needs to provide accurate information and coordinate in tracing the origin of suspected counterfeit drug batches.

Previously, the Drug Administration also warned that the osteoporosis treatment drug Aclasta was suspected of being counterfeit.

Aclasta drug sample warned (Photo: Drug Administration).

Aclasta (100ml contains 5.33mg zoledronic acid monohydrate), registration number 900110171700 (old number: VN-21917-19), registered by Sandoz Vietnam, manufactured by Lek Pharmaceuticals, Slovenia.

Previously, on July 16, the Family Medical Equipment Clinic (formerly Kien Giang province) reported that the product Aclasta (batch number KHBY7, production date: 8/2024, expiration date: 7/2027) showed signs of being counterfeit.

Sandoz Vietnam has verified that this batch was not manufactured by Lek Pharmaceuticals and was not imported by the company. Aclasta batches manufactured after May 2024 use the Sandoz logo, but the suspected counterfeit product still bears the Novartis logo.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/bo-y-te-phat-canh-bao-ve-mot-loai-thuoc-nho-mat-nghi-gia-20250918093730264.htm