2023-04-20 18:01:12
- According to the WHO, 10% of the drugs sold in the world are counterfeit or apocryphal.
- The pharmacy identified as Farmazone, which sold and distributed medicines such as Esbelcaps, Redotex and Terfamex, was suspended for presenting irregular products.
- At the scene they also found falsified medical prescriptions with the names of different offices and doctors.
One of the most important authorities in our country is the Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) because one of its tasks is to identify the existence of irregular medicines to prevent them from reaching the population. In addition, it is also responsible for verifying that all health centers operate properly.
In that case, as part of a review, he suspended the activities of an irregular point of sale of controlled drugs for weight loss. It is presumed that in the place they were issued in an excessive way, online and at home, which represents a risk to people’s health.
During the health operation, specialized verifiers from this federal commission went to the home of a pharmacy identified as Pharmacyin Río Magdalena, number 326, La Otra Banda neighborhood, in Mexico City.
Cofepris identifies sale of irregular medicines
The action was executed in response to a citizen complaint about the commercialization of Esbelcaps, Redotex, Terfamexamong other controlled drugs for the treatment of obesity, without having the necessary permits or a license to operate as a pharmacy.
Cofepris detected that the modus operandi of this establishment was based on customer service on the Internet. It operated through the electronic page “In Line with your Image”. There, users scheduled virtual medical appointments in which they were issued documents equivalent to purchase orders to purchase controlled medications.
These documents bore on their labels the name of a call center called “Give Health Services”whose address, according to its online page, is the same as that of Pharmacy. The entire operation was carried out from the offices of another call center called “Medagsa Farmacia”, but with the same address as Farmazone and “Das Servicios en Salud”.
It should be noted that, in the Cofepris database of health licenses for pharmacies, drugstores and drugstores, there is a record of Medagsa as a pharmacy, located at Río Magdalena, number 326, La Otra Banda neighborhood, in Mexico City. He also had the license number 09001090160.
However, there is no formal registry of Farmazone or “Das Servicios en Salud”, despite the fact that they claim to be located at the same address as Medagsa, so they do not have a license number and are not authorized to market medicines.
During the inspection visit, the sanitary verifiers found boxes of the packaged controlled medicine, with guides for its shipment through the courier service, which is not allowed by the General Health Law.
Cofepris dismantles a commercial chain that irregularly sold controlled medications to lose weight. #CofeprisProtects You https://t.co/SYQW8OYpo8 pic.twitter.com/6E5pBZxbkE
— COFEPRIS (@COFEPRIS) April 20, 2023
Likewise, they found medical prescriptions with the names of different offices and doctors, which presented irregularities such as: blank signatures, indications for the administration of prefilled medications, and the absence of issuance dates.
Cofepris verifiers denounce attempted bribery
The Cofepris technical staff in charge of carrying out this procedure denounced that while they were carrying out the verification, Farmazone representatives tried to bribe them to avoid the corresponding sanctions, offering them a payment of more than 100,000 pesos.
The verifiers rejected the illegal conduct and proceeded to affix the corresponding suspension stamps for the irregularities detected in the establishment.
Cofepris reiterates its commitment to protect the population from the operation of establishments that do not comply with current regulations, as well as to avoid the irregular commercialization of controlled medicines, whose consumption without due medical supervision could endanger the health, and even the life of the people who consume them.
Also read:
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