Unlicensed medicine sale banned
THE Ministr y of Health has banned the sa le of medicine wit hout a lega l permit at supermarkets, minimarts and baby shops nationw ide. It said of fenders face st rict lega l measures, including fines of up to 10 million riel ($2,500).
A letter signed by secretar y of state at t he Ministr y of Health Or Vandine said the ministr y had obser ved that modern and traditiona l medicines, healt h supplements and medical equipment were still being sold at supermarkets, minimarts and baby shops without the ministr y’s aut horisation.
“From today, in order to ensure t he qualit y, safet y and ef fectiveness of medicines for consumers, and to strengthen the implementation of the Law on Management of Pharmaceuticals and the Law on the Amendment to the Law on Management of Pharmaceuticals, a ll owners [of such reta il outlets] must discontinue the sa le of medica l products.
“According to the 2007 Law on the Amendment to the Law on Management of Pharmaceuticals, t he import, distribution, sa le or display of pharmaceuticals and a ll k inds of cosmetic products in Cambodia shall have a registered number from t he Cambodian Ministr y of Health.
“In the event of non-compliance, a fine of between five million and 10 million riel shall be imposed on t hose who distribute or sell unaut horised products,” t he letter said.
However, the same letter said that if those business owners wanted to open a pharmacy, they could contact t he capita l or prov incia l Department of Health to obtain lega l aut horisation.
Saing Sophea, a pharmacist at Pharma Product Manufacturing Co Ltd and a former pharmacist at a private pharmacy, told The Post on Wednesday that pharmacies genera lly received permission from t he ministr y.
”If people want to buy the correct
medicines for t heir ailments, t hey should go to a pharmac y, not a s uper ma r k e t or mini-mart.
“By law, every pharmacist who distributes drugs must be properly registered by the ministry and cannot sell those that are unregistered,” she said.
Sophea said people should only buy medicine from pharmacies that display a licence. “If a pharmacy has a licence and properly qualified pharmacists, it can be trusted up to 95 per cent.
“But we cannot say 100 per cent that pharmacies do not sell counterfeit medicine, because authentic products can be expensive.
“Some outlets accept illegally smuggled counterfeit medicine for resale, which is harmful to people’s health. Moreover, it goes against pharmacists’ ethical standards,” she said.
The Ministr y of Health’s Department of Drugs and Food reported that as of June last year, there were 2,516 registered pharmacies, 405 drug import/export companies and branches, and 19 medical manufacturing institutions in Cambodia.