DOH warns vs fake flu vaccines

MANILA, Philippines - Following the seizure of P4 million worth of fake flu vaccines by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) yesterday asked drugstores to buy their vaccine supplies from legitimate pharmaceutical firms.

In an advisory, BFAD director Nazarita Tacandong warned “all drug store owners and/or their pharmacists to exercise extra diligence in buying this vaccine and any other drugs and medicine.”

“They should buy only from sources duly licensed by BFAD and always demand sales invoices or receipts from their sources indicating therein the name of the drugs and medicine purchased and their respective lot numbers and expiry dates,” she said.

Tacandong maintained that refusal of the source or seller to give such information “should give rise to suspicion and must be reported immediately to BFAD.”

“All consumers are advised to purchase this vaccine and other drugs and medicine only from outlets duly licensed by BFAD and to demand receipts as well,” she noted.

The NBI had confiscated counterfeit Vaxigrip anti-flu vaccines from a house-establishment in San Pedro, Laguna and arrested a former medical representative of a pharmaceutical firm.

The vaccines reportedly contained only distilled water. The raid stemmed from the complaint of Sanofi Pasteur which manufactures and distributes various pharmaceutical products including Vaxigrip.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reiterated yesterday that there are still no vaccines for Influenza A(H1N1). Such vaccines are expected to be out in the market before November.

“What is available now are vaccines for seasonal flu. There is still no vaccine for A(H1N1),” Duque added. Since the A(H1N1) pandemic broke out a few months ago, various flu vaccines have flooded the market, mostly without clarifying that there is no vaccine for the A(H1N1) virus.

Meanwhile, the Caraga region now has the highest number of confirmed Influenza A(H1N1) cases in Mindanao, with 22 confirmed cases.

Fifty patients with flu-like symptoms are also under observation.

This figure does not include those who are under self-medication and who do not know whether their fever is due to the A(H1N1) virus.

Two schools in Butuan City, the Agusan National High School and Rainbow of Little Angels School, recently suspended classes due to confirmed A(H1N1) cases.

Caraga Center for Heath Development records showed that since May the number of persons under observation rose to 50.

Yesterday, an employee at the provincial capitol of Agusan del Norte tested positive for A(H1N1) based on his throat swab test from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

Of the 50 patients under observation for A(H1N1) flu, 28 were female and 22 were male with ages ranging from three months to 77 years. Most are within the age group 11 to 20 years, according to health department records. With Ben Serrano