Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh is blasting pharmacists for selling unregistered and expired products.
This after the Food and Drug Division confiscated half a million dollars worth of drugs, vitamins and supplements from over 40 pharmacies across T&T as part of a nationwide crackdown on the sale of unregistered drugs.
Among the seized items was the Emergen-C vitamin drink mix, which was confiscated because pharmacy owners failed to register the item.
Former Pharmacy Board president, Wazir Hosein, has since been reported as saying the confiscation was unjust to pharmacy owners, as the drugs are seized without proper notice.
He claimed that they were never given a list of the unregistered drugs they may have in contravention of the law beforehand.
Minister Deyalsingh said health officials have been very accommodating in the past and pharmacy owners have failed to take the relevant action to ensure the products they sell are above board.
According to Guardian media, Hosein has said that it is not the responsibility of pharmacists to verify the registration status of the drugs they are selling.
He explained that some of the drugs seized have been sold over the counter to consumers for the past 15 to 20 years.
Hosein also claimed in the Guardian article that the Ministry’s failure to provide a list of unregistered drugs has left pharmacists in the dark about their inventory’s compliance.
He called on the ministry to improve the drug registration system, saying it was too bureaucratic as drug registration takes too long.
However, Minister Deyalsingh told Power 120 Digital’s Power Breakfast Show that selling expired or unregistered goods cannot be the Ministry’s fault.