Ho Chi Minh City conducts comprehensive review of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products after discovering fake essential oils and moisturizers

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has asked all hospitals and pharmaceutical businesses to review their products after discovering a large amount of fake Con O balm and moisturizer.

On July 8, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health informed that the Department had sent a document to the People's Committees of 168 wards, communes, special zones, medical examination and treatment facilities, and pharmaceutical businesses in the area to proactively review and report counterfeit products.

In order to ensure safety for users and promptly detect and prevent counterfeit products from circulating on the market, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health recommends that medical examination and treatment facilities review and check the list of products being traded or used within the premises of medical examination and treatment facilities (including pharmacies and other business establishments), ensuring that counterfeit products or products of unknown origin are not traded or used.

Strictly implement the purchasing process to ensure that products are goods permitted for circulation and supplied by legal businesses, with full invoices and documents.

One of the types of essential oils counterfeited by Vo Thanh Tam's company. Photo: CACC.

For pharmaceutical businesses and private medical examination and treatment facilities, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health requires reviewing and checking the list of products being traded and used at the unit, ensuring that counterfeit products or products of unknown origin are not traded or used. Only trade within the licensed scope, use goods with invoices, documents, and origin in accordance with regulations. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health requests the People's Committees of 168 wards, communes, and special zones to notify pharmaceutical businesses, medical examination and treatment facilities, and people to know not to trade or use counterfeit goods that have been discovered in the recent past. Only buy and sell drugs at legal pharmaceutical businesses.

At the same time, strengthen propaganda work for local people to raise vigilance to join hands with state management agencies in the fight against counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, and trade fraud.

Fake drugs and functional foods were self-immolated in Ho Chi Minh City.

In case medical examination and treatment facilities, pharmaceutical businesses, etc. detect products with suspicious signs, products not yet permitted for circulation, products that do not meet quality standards, products of unknown origin, promptly provide information to the People's Committee, commune, special zone, and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.

Previously, on July 1, Ho Chi Minh City Police temporarily detained Vo Thanh Tam, his wife Ngo Anh Hong (Director of My Trinh Cosmetics Company Limited) and 15 others for the act of "Producing and trading in counterfeit medicines and disease prevention drugs".

Specifically, after a period of monitoring, the Economic Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police inspected the couple's company and discovered 15 employees were producing and storing products such as Con O balm, Thai moisturizer, Thai old man oil...

The products were noted to be of foreign origin and not on the list of registered products. The investigation agency determined that the couple had organized the production of 7 types of balm oils under the Eagle Brand Medicated Oil brand from Singapore.

The total number of counterfeit products sold was 70,000 bottles, equivalent to more than 6 billion VND.

Source: https://ttbc-hcm.gov.vn/tphcm-tong-ra-soat-san-pham-duoc-my-pham-sau-vu-phat-hien-dau-gio-kem-duong-am-gia-1019106.html