NBI seizes "counterfeit" Medicines

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  — Several assorted boxes of alleged counterfeit medicines from seven branches of Sincere Drug Store and from the storage facility of its supplier in this city were seized by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Thursday.

NBI-Bacolod chief Jose Ermie Monsanto said those raided were the branches of Sincere Drug Store in Burgos, Libertad, Dela Rama Center, Gatuslao, Centroplex and Gonzaga and the warehouse of the supplier in Purok Dawis in Brgy. 14 Bacolod.

Among the medicines the NBI agents seized were Alaxan, Biogesic, Aspilets, Solmux, Diatabs and Insulin, he said.

Monsanto said Ricky Enriquez, owner of Sincere chain of drug stores, could face charges for violation of Section 155 in relation to Section 170 of the Republic Act 8293 or the Intellectual Property Rights Code of the Philippines.

The NBI chief said the raids were conducted by the Intellectual Property Rights Divisions of NBI-Manila on the strength of a search warrant issued by Executive Judge Amor Reyes of the Regional Trial Court of the National Capital Region Branch 21.

The search warrant was based on the complaint of Unilab Laboratories, Monsanto said, adding that the representative of Unilab verified that the medicines seized were counterfeit, and that these have no effects at all on patients.

Enriquez, in a radio interview, however complained that the raids conducted on his establishments were unfair because it seemed that he was just was singled out by the NBI, allegedly because he stopped buying medicines directly from Unilab since five years ago.

Enriquez believed that this could be a form of retaliation because he looked for a cheaper distributor, but there were others who also purchased medicine from the same supplier. (FREEMAN)