Counterfeit drugs seized

Local pharmaceuticals market
estimated at $800 million

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) seized counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs. Armand Phares, president of the Syndicate of Pharmaceutical Drugs Importers said: “The drugs were admitted illegally using forged importation documents.” The companies that imported the drugs were not members of the syndicate and did not obtain a license from the MoPH.

“Smuggled pharmaceutical products can easily be distinguished, as they don’t bear the syndicate’s seal,” Phares said.

There are around 42 companies listed in the Syndicate of Pharmaceutical Drugs Importers. They cover about 90 percent of the market's needs. However, membership in the syndicate is not mandatory for importing drugs. Around 40 companies in the market are not members of the syndicate, but they are subject to the supervision of the MoPH. Phares said: “We took several procedures to avoid the entrance of counterfeit drugs to the market through monitoring the chain of responsibilities from the producer to the end consumer.”

He said: “Every forgery of documents is a criminal act that must be punished to the maximum extent.” If a syndicate member engages in such an act, his membership will be suspended immediately .

The pharmaceutical drug market, delivered to pharmacies, is estimated at between $600 and $800 million per year. This number increases by about five percent on a yearly basis.