Myanmar warns against using illegally-imported medicines

An announcement of the Ministry of Health carried on the newspaper said that some medicines, which were seized recently, were illegally imported across border and not registered in Myanmar.

The report cited such medicines as Magnesia tablet, Dezawin tablet and Lin Chee Tan Rheumatism pill manufactured by some four Thai companies and one unknown manufacturer.

The Myanmar health authorities are strengthening the supervision of security of food and drug on sale in the markets and examination is occasionally carried out to ensure that drugs imported are only genuine, potent and quality ones, and those produced locally shall meet the set standard for public safe consumption.

Myanmar enacted the National Food Law in March 1997, forming a special food and drug authority in a bid to enable the public to consume food of genuine quality, free from danger and hygienic problem, and to control and regulate the production, import, export, storage, packaging, distribution and sale of them systematically.

According to statistics of the Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar imported pharmaceutical products valued at 100 million U.S. dollars in 2006-07, an increase by 25 percent from 2005-06 when it was 80 million dollars.

These pharmaceuticals were mainly imported from some Asian nations such as India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand and Indonesia.  Of the imports, only 10 percent came from European countries.