Set up a fence to block counterfeit drugs

Doctors need to be serious, directors need to be close

Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi) is a large-scale unit with thousands of prescriptions every day, the number of people coming to see a doctor can be up to 8,000 people/day. A representative of Bach Mai Hospital said that drugs bid for the hospital must first have a circulation registration number, and most importantly, the drug must be in the pharmacopoeia, inpatients or outpatients will not use if the drug is not in the pharmacopoeia.

Inside a fake medicine factory when Thanh Hoa police raided and caught them red-handed recently

PHOTO: PHUC NGU

Associate Professor - Doctor Dao Xuan Co affirmed that drugs bidding for supply to hospitals must first meet the above criteria, and if achieved, the risk of counterfeit drugs will be greatly reduced. In addition, hospitals must also rely on FDA standards and EU standards to set criteria when bidding to have good products for patients.

According to the Director of Bach Mai Hospital, in order to prescribe safely and effectively for patients, the Ministry of Health has issued very strict regulations on prescription, but first of all, doctors themselves must strictly comply, then those working in hospital management need to closely monitor. He also added that if people and patients discover that doctors at Bach Mai Hospital prescribe functional foods, they should report it to the hospital.

If you discover signs of counterfeit drugs, you should immediately report them to the authorities such as the Department of Health, the Drug Administration, or the local police. If you have purchased counterfeit drugs, stop using them immediately and contact a medical facility for advice. Using counterfeit drugs can pose serious health risks.

Do not buy drugs through social networks or individual sellers

According to the Drug Administration of Vietnam (Ministry of Health), when the revised Pharmacy Law takes effect from July 1, 2025, some new non-prescription drugs will be traded (retailed) via e-commerce on e-commerce trading floors and e-commerce websites with online ordering functions.

Therefore, people need to note: If buying medicine online, only buy medicine on websites licensed to sell medicine online; especially do not buy through social networking platforms or individual sellers.

When buying medicine at pharmacies and drugstores, people should only buy medicine at licensed, reputable places with clear addresses. Do not buy from unclear sources such as markets, street vendors or through livestreams...

Need to get invoice when buying medicine

The Ministry of Health also notes that people need to check the packaging and information on the medicine box such as: the packaging must be intact, not torn, blurred, and not showing signs of being edited. Information such as the name of the medicine, batch number, date of manufacture, expiry date, registration number, and manufacturer's name must be sharp, clear, and not erased. Observe the color, size, and symbols on the pill and medicine box. If there is a difference from the previous use or from the original description, it should not be used.

Use a barcode/QR code scanning application to check product information (if there is a barcode/QR code printed on the box). If the code cannot be scanned or the information does not match, the origin of the drug should be questioned. In particular, when buying drugs, people should request a purchase invoice to ensure the origin. The invoice is also the basis for complaints if counterfeit drugs are detected.

In addition, the representative of the Drug Administration also noted that counterfeit drugs are often sold at unusually low prices to attract buyers, and sellers often give various reasons to justify the low prices. Therefore, if the price is too low compared to the market, people need to be careful. At the same time, avoid believing in "miracle drug" advertisements, or drugs of unknown origin that are sold online and by word of mouth.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lap-hang-rao-chan-thuoc-gia-185250419220252942.htm