Counterfeit medicines can aggravate the disease and lead to be life-threatening conditions, according to an official from Yangon Region Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Fake drugs are being sold online and he advised customers to buy only from legal drugstores after consulting with doctors for their health.
“Fake drug means that it doest not have the same effects as the real thing. In the case of life saving drugs, fake ones can even be life-threatening. If a fake antibiotic cannot kill germs, it can make the situation worse. Other impacts include the inability to reduce fever, pain or dizziness. So, fake drugs can have effects ranging from the least effective to the most life-threatening,” he said.
FDA announced on 19 December to avoid five illegal drugs with no guarantee for quality, efficacy and safety, which are being sold in the market.
They are Benda 500 Tablet, TIFFY DEY Tablet, Sara Suspension (Strawberry), Sara For Children Suspension (Orange) and Avastin FDA, and they were found to have different bar codes without Myanmar labels after regular checks.
Bar Code of legally imported Benda 500 tablet is8851473004123 and its registration number is MM Reg. No R250 7AA 2814 with insert sheet in Myanmar language.
Bar Code of illegally imported Benda 500 tablet is8851473001191 and it has neither Myanmar drug registration number nor insert sheet in Myanmar language.
Similarly, bar code of the illegally imported TIFFY DEY tablet is 8851473007704 and it has neither Myanmar drug registration number nor insert sheet in Myanmar language while those of legal one are 8851473009678 and MM Reg . No R2609 AA 3580 with the descriptions in English and Myanmar on both bottles and cards.
Myanmar registration numbers of Sara Suspension (Strawberry) and Sara For Children Suspension (Orange) are MM Reg . No R2402 AA 1167 and MM Reg . No R2103 AA 2933 respectively, and they have the descriptions in English and Myanmar on both bottles and insert sheets while the illegal ones don’t have them.
Legally registered Avastin describes its drug registration number, it stated.
MT/ZN
