TULFO SLAMS FDA AMID RAMPANT SALE OF ALLEGED FAKE HEALTH PRODUCTS ONLINE AND IN BINONDO, QUIAPO STORES

SENATOR “Idol” Raffy Tulfo criticized the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its lack of concrete action amid the widespread sale of illegal, counterfeit, and unregistered health products online and in physical stores.

During  a  Senate Committee on Health and Demography hearing, Tulfo told FDA Director General Paolo Teston that the FDA’s actions should be thorough and not limited to issuing health advisories.

“Dahil sa online selling platforms, halos lahat ngayon ay one click away. Pero kasabay ng convenience, one click away na rin ang panganib,” he said.  

One example cited by Sen. Raffy was a test- uy conducted by his Senate team on Shopee, wherein they were able to purchase prescription-only medicines like clobetasol propionate and co-amoxiclav without a prescription.

He also discussed the surge in sales of “Tirzepatide” on TikTok and other platforms. According to him, only the brand Mounjaro is FDA-registered in the Philippines, yet unregistered versions are widespread online and not properly regulated by the FDA.

“Ang pag-bebenta ng mga ito ay hindi shortcut sa pam- apayat, kundi shortcut sa panganib para sa ating consumers,” he stressed. 

Furthermore, the senator emphasized that the spread of unregistered, unsafe, and fake products continues not only online but also in physical stores particularly in Binondo and Quiapo.

The senator’s aff conducted test buys in several retail stores, where they were still able to purchase Hokkaido Slimming Pills containing amphetamine.

The FDA had issued an advisory against these products back in 2013, yet their sale remains rampant.

On the issue of counterfeit medicines, Sen. Tulfo said his team purchased fake Biogesic, Decolgen Forte, and Neozep in physical stores. Even worse, these are sometimes more expensive than pharmacy medicines, but they are ineffective and dangerous, potentially causing severe allergic reactions.

“Bakit ninyo pinapabayaan na nagkalat ang mga ito. Meron kami nabili sa Binondo at Quiapo, Meron pa amphetamine. May nabili din kami fake na biogesic, fake na neozep at fake na decolgen, Maaaring masama sa kalusugan. Paano kung may side effect ito, “ Tulfo said.

“Urgency is a must ‘pag kalusugan ang pinag-usapan,” said Sen. Raffy. “Sa pagdinig na ito, malinaw kung sino ang main character. Ang tanong: bida ba sila sa consumer protection, o sila ang kontrabida sa kalusugan ng bayan? In public health, advisories are not enough. Action is the real measure of credibility.”

During the hearing, Sen. Tulfo also presented some unregistered or fake medicines purchased by his team as examples.