Thailand's DSI Takes Over Pseudoephedrine-Based Medicine Probe

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COLD PILLS

DSI takes over cold pills probe

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Investigation targets 22 hospitals where unusually large orders of pseudoephedrine-based medicine were placed

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has taken over the probe into the theft from state hospitals of medicine that contains pseudoephedrine.Millions of missing cold pills are suspected to have been stolen to produce methamphetamine in nearby countries.

Pol Lt Colonel Pong-in Inthornkhao, who heads the DSI Bureau of Security Crime, said primary investigations showed 45 million tablets containing pseudoephedrine had disappeared from medical facilities over the past few years.

"We will trace where these medicines were sent and whether they ended up in the hands of drug manufacturers," he said.

The DSI investigation would target 22 hospitals in many provinces including Bangkok, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai and Nakhon Pathom. These state medical facilities have reportedly ordered an unusually high number of cold pills in recent years which contain pseudoephedrine.

At its meeting yesterday, the DSI board issued a resolution to make the embezzlement of medicine that contains pseudoephedrine a crime it has jurisdiction over.

"The DSI will be able to investigate such cases efficiently," Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said after he chaired the DSI-board meeting yesterday.

DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said |his agency could use special measures such as telephone tapping and infiltration into electronic databases.

"We believe the investigation will not take long. We will collaborate with various agencies," he said.

After the DSI board move, |police began transferring information relating to such cases. Arrest warrants have already been |issued to some pharmacists charged with stealing pseudoephedrine-based medicine from state hospitals.

On Sunday, the Public Health Ministry said its ongoing probe suggested seven government |officials, mostly pharmacists, had committed grave disciplinary offences.

"We will determine who are involved. The chiefs of divisions and state hospitals will be held responsible in criminal proceedings too unless they prove they had already taken proper measures for close supervision," Tharit said. Those cleared of criminal proceedings could still be subject to disciplinary action taken separately by the Health Ministry.

Chalerm believed a big network was behind the embezzling of cold pills from state hospitals.

"Our legal team is checking whether the hospital officials involved in the embezzlement should be considered accomplices in the manufacture of methamphetamines if they knew full well that this medicine would be used for this purpose," he said.

The inventory check on medicine at state hospitals started after police found a huge amount of tablets that contain pseudoephedrine at some locations in Chiang Mai last month.

An arrest warrant for Udon Karnsomprot was then issued because there was evidence he brought boxes containing the medicine tablets from Thong Saen Khan Hospital in Uttaradit to Chiang Mai.

The hospital's pharmacist, Thirapong Iam-orn, was charged with illegally selling the cold medicine.

Out in the far Northeast, 4.5 million tablets of the cold-drugs had also gone missing from Udon Thani Hospital. Its pharmacist, Somchai sae Khow, is now on the run.

According to Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri, his ministry's ongoing probe found there were irregularities at six hospitals.

An informed source said these hospitals were Udon Thani Hospital, Thong Saeng Khan Hospital, Phusing Hospital in Si Sa ket, Doi Lor Hospital in Chiang Mai, Hot Hospital in Chiang Mai, and Kamalasai Hospital in Kalasin.

"The same probe has cleared nine others and is looking into alleged irregularities at three others," Witthaya said yesterday.

Chalerm said apart from pseudoephedrine, there were some other substances in medicines that could be used for the methamphetamine production.

"But they are less dangerous," he said.

-- The Nation 2012-03-27

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FDA: Phenylephrine to be in Place of Pseudoephedrine

BANGKOK: -- The Food and Drug Administration insisted that drugs containing phenylephrine will be effective to replace pseudoephedrine.

Food and Drug Administration or FDA Secretary-General Pipat Yingseree said the Thai Clinical Physician Association submitted a letter to the FDA after there have been an embezzlement of cold treatment pills containing the stimulant pseudoephedrine, a precursor for making amphetamines out of state hospitals.

The association requested the FDA to reconsider its control over the usage of cold treatment drugs, saying the FDA should allow drug distribution in clinics with a condition that clinics must forward drug distribution records to the FDA monthly.

Meanwhile, the FDA urged every hospital to preserve leftover pills in their stock and wait for the Public Health Minister's declaration in listing drugs containing pseudoephedrine to be an activate substance.

He said the Royal Decree Committee Office is expected to finalize the matter by this month. The FDA insisted that phenylephrine is effective to be used in place of pseudoephedrine.

The Public Health Ministry forbid a distribution of pills containing pseudoephedrine since last year. However, a total of 29 out of 413 drug stores in Bangkok are found to violate the ministry's order.

The ministry pledged to take legal action against the violators. Pharmacists would have their pharmacy license revoked for one to three months depending on the amount of pills that are found.

-- Tan Network 2012-03-27

[anterian]

Anyone who claims that phenylephrine is a effective as pseudoephedrine is either a fool or being paid to say so!

compared to pseudoephedrine, it has a reduced and variable bioavailability; only up to 38 percent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylephrine

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DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said |his agency could use special measures such as telephone tapping and infiltration into electronic databases.

Chief Tharit is a very wise man to let all the guilty people know in advance that he might 'tap' their phones... I am sure they will all speak the truth when they talk on the 'tapped' phones!

Edited March 27, 2012 by easybullet3

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When you move any investigation from one enity to another, in this case police to DSI you going to have a lag time for the latter to catch up on proceeding, progress, etc This in itself give the rabbits a good head start, others involved have additional time to cover tracks, paperwork, etc There was mention of several months for the DSI to get the pertinent details, etc.Then they mention how they will go after the culprits. Another stonewall may be forthcoming as I would suspect some major companies/people are involved.

Maybe they should ask the health department for advice/aid. They seem to have made quick work of tracing orders, shortages, etc and have already fired several potential suspects. This may keep DSI out of other problems closer to home.