On October 9, the Hanoi Department of Health issued document 5014/SYT-NVD notifying medical facilities, pharmaceutical businesses in the area, and health departments of 30 districts, towns, and cities about Zinnat tablets 500mg suspected of unknown origin.
Previously, on October 4, the Department of Health received a dispatch from the Drug Administration of Vietnam announcing that the drug Zinnat tablets 500mg was suspected of having unknown origin, specifically on the label: Zinnat tablets 500mg; the outer packaging label of the drug did not comply with the regulations in Circular No. 01/2018/TT-BYT dated January 18, 2018 of the Ministry of Health regulating the labeling of drugs, drug ingredients and drug instructions.
The mandatory information shown on the drug label is not written in Vietnamese; there is no importer information; there is no circulation registration number or import license number.
Drug samples were detected in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City (pharmacies around Cho Ray Hospital), Can Tho City, Lang Son Province, and Tien Giang Province.
To ensure treatment effectiveness and safety for users, the Department of Health requires medical facilities, drug wholesalers and retailers in the area not to trade, distribute or use drugs of unknown origin; review the operations of the facility, if Zinnat tablets 500mg is found to have the information as stated, promptly notify the Department of Health (Department Inspectorate) for handling measures.
The Department of Health also requested the District, Town and City Health Departments to notify medical establishments in their management areas not to trade, distribute or use drugs of unknown origin; receive information from establishments, coordinate with relevant departments to conduct inspections of drug trading establishments in the area, verify information and trace the origin of the above Zinnat tablets 500mg, and handle violations according to their authority.
At the same time, request the Hanoi Drug, Cosmetic and Food Testing Center to review the above drugs during the sampling process; increase sampling to check the quality of drugs at risk of being counterfeited or of poor quality, of unknown origin, and report to the Department of Health for handling measures.
The Department of Health coordinates with media agencies to inform drug businesses and users and the public not to trade or use drugs of unknown origin. It is recommended that people inform the Department's hotline about counterfeit drugs, smuggled drugs, and drugs of unknown origin as soon as they are discovered.
Zinnat is a very commonly used antibiotic for many cases of bacterial infection with many dosage forms and contents suitable for many subjects and ages.
