DSI warns pharmacies still stocking drugs to turn them in
Department of Special Investigation on Thursday warned pharmacies still stocking pseudo-ephidrine medicines in any form to return them to the pharmaceutical companies or face criminal charges.
The deadline for return was Wednesday at 4.30pm.
DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said the medicine would now be available only at hospitals and medical clinics.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported Thursday that 18,150,000 tablets and 11,260,000 millilitres of medicines had been returned and the FDA would call a meeting of pharmacy business operators on May 25 to set a new system of drug-ordering called “FDA Reporter”. This would record the purchase of medicine from its original point to the destination point with the FDA acting as mediator.
Those found in possession of this Psychotropic Substance Schedule 2 without permission could face one to five years in prison and a fine of Bt20,000-Bt100,000, while those possessing more than five grams of the medicine could face five to 20 years in jail.
Tharit said the pharmaceutical companies had manufactured 60 million tablets containing pseudo-ephidrine, about 20 million of which were possessed by authorised medical facilities. He said the medicine returned from pharmacies via companies would be destroyed along with illegal cosmetic products at Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate in Ayutthaya.
Tharit also reported the probe into the smuggling of the medicine into Thailand showed that it was likely carried out by large criminal organisations backed by influential figures,
Tharit said he would led DSI investigators to inspect Suvarnabhumi Airport’s Duty Free Zone cargo terminal, where the medicine was smuggled through on faulty declarations and would consider filing charges against state officials and others involved.
