Vietnam's anti corruption agency is investigating allegations of eight pharmaceutical firms against Truong Quoc Cuong, chief of the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV), for his wrongdoings related to drug imports and distribution, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.
Seven joint stock pharmaceutical companies – Imexpharm, Agimexpharm, S Pharm, Minh Hai, Tipharco, Pymepharco and Khanh Hoa – and Stada-Vietnam, a German-Vietnam joint venture accused Cuong of granting import quotas to some certain drug firms in his favor.
They said Cuong allowed BV Pharma Joint Venture Company to import a huge quantity of pseudoephedrine, which is used to produce popular flu remedies but can also be used to make the illegal methamphetamine by drug dealers.
The companies also accused Cuong of ignoring a regulation issued by the Health Ministry to stop the imports and the manufacture of sibutramine, an oral anorexiant, following a warning from the World Health Organization that the medicine would have many side effects, last year.
On June 8, 2010, Cuong signed a document allowing some Indian, Pakistani, South Korean and Bangladeshi drug companies to sell out their sibutramine stocks, they said.
He allowed many companies to import drugs that can be manufactured domestically at lower prices, according to the eight companies.
Tran Thi Dao, Imexpharm general director, told the Tuoi Tre it was the first time drug companies raised their voice against the wrongdoings of a state management agency.
The companies said Cuong’s wrongdoings affected the prestige and development of the drug sector, hurting its trading and manufacture activities.
They said they are fully responsible for what they said in the complaint and ready to provide more evidence and information related to this case to authorities.
Friday, October 07, 2011
Vietnam drug agency chief probed for alleged wrongdoings
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment