Inspect the production, trade, and business of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods, traditional medicines, and medical equipment.

(LĐ online) - On June 3, Lam Dong Department of Health is stepping up the implementation of the peak month to fight against smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and intellectual property infringement under the direction of the Ministry of Health and Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee. Inspection teams have been stepping up the implementation of surprise inspections from May 15 to June 15.

Lam Dong Department of Health Inspectorate inspects pharmaceutical business establishments

• STRENGTHENING IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECTIVE NO. 13/CT-TTG

On May 23, Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee issued a Plan to implement Directive No. 13/CT-TTg and Official Dispatch No. 65/CD-TTg dated May 15, 2025 of the Prime Minister on strengthening the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods in the new situation. Lam Dong Department of Health issued a plan to implement a peak month to fight against smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods and infringement of intellectual property rights in the province.

The purpose is to promptly implement the contents according to the direction of the Central and local levels, to implement the peak month in the entire health sector to inspect and control the implementation of legal regulations related to the trading, production and business activities of pharmaceutical enterprises, functional foods, cosmetics and medical equipment in order to combat, prevent, repel and eventually end the situation of smuggling, trade fraud, production and circulation of counterfeit goods (for pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, functional foods, traditional medicines and medical equipment); to protect the legitimate rights and interests of people and businesses. To promptly detect and strictly handle acts of manufacturing and trading in counterfeit, smuggled pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods, traditional medicines and medical equipment of unknown origin.

The Department of Health requests the Food Safety Department, the Center for Disease Control, and the Center for Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Testing to base on the functions and tasks of the agencies, units, and assigned tasks to propose specific tasks and solutions to effectively implement the work of combating smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods. The tasks set out must be complete, practical, focused, and clearly define the responsibilities of the agencies and units; at the same time, combine with the dissemination of legal policies so that consumers can access information and have knowledge about the work of combating smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods.

Check and recall counterfeit drugs according to the announcement of the Drug Administration of Vietnam - Ministry of Health

Effectively organize the implementation of the plan for the peak month of fighting against smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and infringement of intellectual property rights. Establish inspection teams for the production, trade, and business of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods, traditional medicines, and medical equipment within the management area. Implement the reporting regime on the situation and results of the implementation of the plan according to regulations; regularly notify violating establishments on mass media so that people can easily access information.

The Department of Health Inspectorate coordinates with the Department's departments and relevant units to inspect the production, trade, and business of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods, traditional medicines, and medical equipment within the province.

The Provincial Food Safety Department is responsible for developing plans and implementing inspections of the implementation of laws and regulations on food safety at production, export, import establishments, and business households directly trading in food ingredients, milk, and functional foods.

The Provincial Center for Disease Control is responsible for developing a plan to combat smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods in the field of insecticides and disinfectants used in households and medical facilities; and coordinating with the Department of Health Inspectorate in inspecting enterprises according to current regulations.

Lam Dong Provincial Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Testing Center is responsible for managing the quality of goods in the fields of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, medicinal herbs and traditional medicine in the province.

Checking traditional medicines at private medical practice facilities

• RESULTS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECTIVE NO. 17/CT-TTG

Previously, Lam Dong Department of Health also reported the results of implementing Directive No. 17/CT-TTg dated June 19, 2018 of the Prime Minister on strengthening the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, production and trading of counterfeit and poor quality goods for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods and traditional medicine.

In the field of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, the Department of Health has assigned the responsibility to the Lam Dong Provincial Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Testing Center to organize the collection of samples to test the quality of drugs and cosmetics in the whole province (at pharmaceutical and cosmetic trading points, drug production and treatment facilities). The results of the implementation of the number of samples collected for testing were 868 samples at 191 facilities, 100% of the samples met the quality standards, no fake drugs were detected through the testing samples.

Check milk powder items

In the food sector, the Department of Health has assigned the responsibility to the Food Safety Department to organize the monitoring of food contamination risks for prepackaged food products, health protection foods, and high-risk foods in the province (at food businesses). 349 samples were taken, including health protection foods; tools, packaging materials, food containers; food additives; bottled drinking water, bottled natural mineral water; vermicelli, pho, jam... The results of 130 rapid tests (products from flour: vermicelli, pho, banh canh...; meat products: ham, sour sausage, sausage, grilled meat...; wine; frying oil...) showed that 100% of the samples passed. For 219 samples sent for testing at the testing room (health protection foods; tools, packaging materials, food containers; food additives), the results of 21 samples failed (accounting for 9.6%), including 21 samples of bottled and jarred drinking water that did not meet microbiological standards.

In 2025, the Food Safety Department conducted food contamination hazard monitoring with 200 samples of health protection foods; food packaging and storage tools and materials; food additives; bottled drinking water, bottled natural mineral water; food supplements... awaiting results from the testing laboratory.

Rapid testing of health food samples

The inspection and examination of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods and traditional medicine discovered 82 violations with a total fine of 452 million VND. Violations handled include: not having a separate area for non-medicinal products; not opening a book or not using a computer to manage import, export, storage, tracking batch numbers, expiry dates, origins of drugs and other relevant information as prescribed by law; the person in charge of the professional responsibility of the drug retail establishment was absent during the operation of the drug retail establishment but did not carry out the authorization as prescribed; functional foods expired.

The Department of Health has promptly issued documents recommending drugs and cosmetics of unknown origin so that businesses and people are aware, do not trade or use them, and promptly provide information to the drug management agency when detecting drugs and cosmetics with recommendations from the Drug Administration. At the same time, the documents are posted on the Department of Health's information page: https://lamdong.gov.vn. Distributing communication materials with 24,000 leaflets to serve communication work to ensure food safety. Organizing training conferences on ensuring food safety and preventing food poisoning for food service establishments; Online training conferences on the use of the Food Safety Management System in Vietnam for districts, cities, communes, wards and towns.

Through the inspection, the effectiveness of State management over pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food businesses in the area was enhanced. At the same time, the current situation of compliance with State regulations on business in the province was assessed. In addition, the inspection team also disseminated, reminded and guided owners of pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food businesses to strictly comply with the provisions of law, meeting the needs of health care and protection for local people.

Currently, specialized and interdisciplinary inspection teams continue to inspect, monitor, and guide food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic production and trading establishments to detect, handle, rectify, and overcome existing problems in trading poor quality goods of unknown origin.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/xa-hoi/202506/kiem-tra-viec-san-xuat-buon-ban-kinh-doanh-duoc-pham-my-pham-thuc-pham-chuc-nang-thuoc-co-truyen-thiet-bi-y-te-e585a33/