The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has monitored counterfeit multivitamins + mineral tablets, Centrum and Centrum

Silver of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (PCH), that are being advertised, sold or offered for sale on-line thru Beeconomic Philippines, Inc., owned and operated by GROUPON Philippines. The investigation conducted by the FDA with the PCH revealed that the labels of the counterfeit Centrum and Centrum Silver products differ from the FDA-registered products: a. The counterfeit products do not bear the FDA Certificate of Product Registration Number and do not contain the same formulation approved approved by the FDA. b. The counterfeit products do not carry the complete name and address of the manufacturer and/or distributor as required by the FDA. c. The font size of the generic name multivitamin + mineral is not in conformity with the labeling requirements of RA No. 6675, otherwise known as the Generics Law of 1988, which requires that the generic name should at least be one point size bigger than the brand name. In its FDA Advisory No. 2013-037 issued on September 20, FDA stated that the Green Barley product is an unregistered health productand has unapproved health claims that it heals wounds and treat skin diseases like fungal infections by topically applying the powder juice on the skin. Roma Drug & Romeo Rodriguez vs RTC of Guagua, Pampanga April 16, 2009 Roma Drug, which operates a pharmacy in Guagua, Pampanga, was prosecuted for supposedly violating RA 8203 or the Special Law on Counterfeit Drugs (SLCD) by directly importing and selling Augmentin tablets, Orbenin capsules, Amoxil capsules, and Ampiclox capsules. Smithkline Phil avers that because the medicines were not purchased from a Philippine registered counterpart of Smithkline then the products imported by Roma Drug are considered as counterfeit or unregistered imported drug product - as defined by RA 8203. HELD: The SC ruled in favor of RD. The SC denounced SLCD for it violated equal protection. It does not allow private 3rd parties to import such medicines abroad even in cases of life and death nor does it allow the importation by 3rd parties in cases wherein the stocks of such medicine would run out. Nevertheless, the flawed intention of Congress had been abrogated by the passage of RA 9502 Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008 and its IRR.
TOP FIVE FAKED MEDICINES IN PHILIPPINES Drug Class Adalat Gits 30mg tablet Anti-hypertensive Ventolin Expectorant syrup Anti-asthma Ponstan 500mg Painkiller Diatabs reformulated Anti-diarrhoeal Propan syrup Vitamins

1 2 3 4 5

Source: Cockburn et al, 2005; National Agency of food and Drug Control, Indonesia, 2007