BOLIVIA: Doctors for health ministry comb pharmacies after seizing tons of expired drugs illegally repackaged by importers

Record ID: 1543245

  • Title: BOLIVIA: Doctors for health ministry comb pharmacies after seizing tons of expired drugs illegally repackaged by importers
  • Date: 16th January 2010
  • Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (JANUARY 14, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF HEALTH AND SPORTS MINISTRY LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (JANUARY 13, 2010) (REUTERS) NEWS CONFERENCE WITH HEALTH MINISTRY OFFICIALS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HEALTH AND SPORTS MINISTER RAMIRO TAPIA SAYING: "We've seized sixty tons of pharmaceuticals, but it seems they distributed a lot more than that." PEOPLE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) TAPIA SAYING: "Here in Bolivia they've made an attack on the health of the people. In this case, punishing with a year, five years, or even eight years seems short if you're attacking someone's life. There are examples where this can cause damage." GENERAL VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (JANUARY 14, 2010) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF STREET VARIOUS OFFICIALS INSPECTING PHARMACY
  • Embargoed: 31st January 2010 01:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Health
  • Reuters ID: LVA7QSDG3RVOSTONBS9RQEJVBTO6
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Bolivian doctors were combing pharmacies in La Paz on Thursday (January 14) in search of expired medicines that had been illegally imported and put on the market.
    A team of doctors working for Bolivia's Health and Sports Ministry set out to search all the country's pharmacy shelves after officials said two drug importers, Eske and Bremen, changed the dates on tons of expired drugs and sold them.
    Rosalia Flores, a local pharmacist, said she feels lumped in with the illegal activity.
    "Everyone thinks we are accomplices in this, but it's not like that. We are also victims of it," Flores said.
    Drugs that passed inspection were tagged as safe and the fraudulent products were taken off shelves.
    According to the Health and Sports Ministry, the Bolivian Eske SRL is part of a larger Eske Group which is headquartered in Lima and has branches in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Ecuador.
    The company was reportedly working on a permission granted by the government in 2004.
    Eske SRL is facing charges of fraud and damage to public health, charges that carry a sentence of up to ten years.
    At a news conference on Thursday, Health and Sports Minister Ramiro Tapia said despite seizures there are still expired drugs in pharmacies.
    "We've seized sixty tons of pharmaceuticals, but it seems they distributed a lot more than that," he said.
    Tapia called the tampering case an 'attack on people's health'.
    "Here in Bolivia they've made an attack on the health of the people. In this case, punishing with a year, five years, or even eight years seems short if you're attacking someone's life. There are examples where this can cause damage," he said.
    Tapia hopes lawmakers will open the door for stiffer penalties against the companies in a pending reform on pharmaceutical legislation, which is set to go under debate on Tuesday.
    Health officials admitted Bolivia has not studied how tampered drugs can affect public health, but feared a mass intoxication at worst.
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