Pharmaceuticals, cosmetics companies told to register
Following the confiscation of over P10 million worth of unregistered beauty and health products in Mandaue City last month, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has warned pharmaceutical companies to make sure that their businesses and products are registered.
FDA Director General Nela Charade Puno said unregistered establishments and products could be unsafe for public consumption. Puno said the FDA and the Philippine National Police have already created a task force to go after unregistered products.
“Usually, yung mga establishemento na mga hindi naka rehistro sa FDA, madalas unsafe yung tinatawag nating produkto nila kasi hindi nga po sila naka rehistro,” Puno said.
The FDA and the PNP recently shut down a mini laboratory in Barangay Cambaro, Mandaue City. The establishment was called the American Compounding Pharmacy Inc. (ACPI) operated by David Atkinson.
FDA and police operatives confiscated health and beauty products as well as several laboratory equipment. The products include several boxes of Glutathione, vitamin C in powder form, Bio-C, Immuno Factor and mineral tablets and other additives/components for manufacturing injectable health products as well as assorted packaging materials, labeling materials, equipment used in health products, computers and receipts of sales transactions.
“With the PNP and LGUs' support, the FDA is looking forward to reducing, if not, totally eradicating the volume of these unregistered adulterated and counterfeited products in the market which pose great danger to the Filipino public,” said Puno.
The FDA and the PNP launched a task force called the D-PUNCH, which aims to destroy products that are not good for the consumers.
“D-PUNCH is an abbreviation of the task force's main objective which is to 'Destroy Products Unfit for the Consumption of Humans',” said Puno.
“The task force, we call it D-PUNCH, is a joint undertaking of the Food and Drug Administration to protect the public against the proliferation of food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices that are unfit for human use of consumption,” she added.
According to Puno, the task force has been conducting specialized training for selected FDA and PNP personnel from all over the country.
Puno also warned consumers, including resellers and even medical practitioners to make sure that products are approved and registered by the FDA.
Police Regional Office-7 Director Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino said they need to undergo capacity training for them to know the fake products from genuine ones.
“Sa Philippine National Police kasi, we have to be deputized by FDA since they are the regulatory office, we could not easily identify this without the technical knowledge of FDA, or complaint from the public na itong product na ito has contrary sa description ng products,” Espino said.