On May 29, the Drug Administration of Vietnam ( Ministry of Health ) announced that it had discovered a batch of Theophylline Extended Release Tablets 200mg (Theophylin 200mg), a drug used to treat asthma, that did not meet the quality standards stated on the label, with only 6.3% of the active ingredient content compared to the declared level. This sample was taken at An An Pharmacy (Hanoi) and tested by the Hanoi Center for Drug, Cosmetic and Food Testing. Currently, the Drug Administration of Vietnam is coordinating with relevant agencies to trace the origin, recall the offending batch of drugs and investigate signs of manufacturing and trading counterfeit drugs.
Theophylline is a bronchodilator, often prescribed to help control asthma attacks and improve breathing for asthma patients. According to doctors, the discovery of fake Theophylline 200mg is an extremely serious warning, not only in terms of the law and ethics of pharmaceutical production and trading, because using fake drugs with such low concentrations not only makes treatment ineffective but can also threaten the patient's life if an acute asthma attack is not controlled promptly.
Previously, on May 23, the Drug Administration of Vietnam (Ministry of Health) issued an urgent dispatch to the Departments of Health, requesting to inspect, handle and trace the origin of the fake drug NEXIUM 40mg. This notice was issued after the authorities discovered that the drug sample did not meet quality standards and was taken at Duc Anh Pharmacy ( Hanoi ). The product is in the form of film-coated tablets, blister packs of 7 tablets, box of 4 blister packs, with batch number 23H420, expiry date September 2027. However, the drug label does not include the circulation registration number, import license, information about the manufacturing or importing facility, and lacks a Vietnamese sub-label. Test results showed that the Esomeprazole content in the sample was only 6.91mg, equivalent to 17.27% of the declared content.
This information has made many people with stomach diseases extremely confused and worried, because NEXIUM 40mg is one of the popular stomach treatment drugs today. Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Dung (Ha Long City) was upset: I am a patient who is being treated for stomach ulcers and gastric reflux, and was prescribed NEXIUM 40mg. This medicine is very easy to buy, almost every pharmacy has it. People sell it, so we buy it. Now with this information, we patients cannot know which medicine is real and which is fake, and how to use it.
Since the beginning of the year, cases related to fake and poor quality drugs and dietary supplements have been continuously discovered by authorities. Fake drugs, but their consequences are real. Last May, at Dong Trieu Medical Center, doctors also received an emergency case of a patient with a perforated stomach due to taking a type of pain reliever for bones and joints purchased online. According to the doctors, it is very likely that the drug contained corticoids, after the patient used it for a long time, overdosed, leading to erosion of the stomach lining, causing ulcers and perforation.
Pharmacist CKI Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, Head of Pharmacy Department, Vietnam - Sweden Uong Bi Hospital also emphasized: Using fake drugs, drugs that are not quality-tested, not only is ineffective in treatment, even makes the disease worse, prolongs the treatment time, but can also cause serious consequences due to poisoning of the ingredients in the drug. More dangerously, with drugs that need special control (such as addictive drugs, psychotropic drugs), if used incorrectly or without a doctor's prescription, users may face the risk of addiction, mental disorders or life-threatening side effects.
On May 15, the Ministry of Health sent an official dispatch to the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, directing the relevant agencies to launch a 1-month peak period to combat the production and trade of fake drugs, health protection foods, and milk of unknown origin. Accordingly, from May 15 to June 15, 2025, the relevant agencies will strengthen surprise inspections and supervision, strictly handle the trade and trade of fake drugs, smuggled drugs, drugs of unknown origin, and tighten the management of conditional business lines in the health sector.
Ms. Ngo Thi Hai Yen, Deputy Director of the Quang Ninh Provincial Testing Center, said: Currently, there are 927 drug retail establishments in the province. In addition to this peak period, the Quang Ninh Health Department will also step up inspection, sampling, early detection of cases of counterfeit drugs, drugs with insufficient content, timely warnings as well as coordination with relevant agencies to strictly handle according to regulations.
Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/thuoc-gia-thuc-pham-chuc-nang-gia-he-luy-that-3360666.html
Comment (0)