Prescriptions To Be Tightly Controlled: Thailand

[webfact]

COLD PILLS

Prescriptions to be tightly controlled

The Nation

Doctors required to record every patient's name, inventory details

BANGKOK: -- The Public Health Ministry will be strictly controlling the prescription of pseudoephedrine based tablets at all its hospitals across the country.

Doctors have to record the patient's name and an inventory report every time they prescribe these pills, the ministry's permanent secretary Dr Paijit Warachit said.

The ministry had initially banned the prescription of pseudoephedrinebased tablets after discovering that millions of these pills had disappeared from various hospitals over recent years.

Then on Wednesday, the ministry decided to list pseudoephedrine pills as type 2 psychotropic substances, which need to be strictly controlled by the Food and Drug Administration. Now the ministry is planning to lift the ban, allowing doctors to prescribe the drug more cautiously.

As for concerns about there being a shortage of medication for the common cold, Paijit said the symptoms could also be treated with other pills that do not contain pseudoephedrine.

In a related development, the ministry’s inspector Dr Surachet Satitniramai said the director and chief pharmacist at a hospital in Udon Thani were not involved in the disappearance of pseudoephedrinebased tablets.

"They were just ignorant about having to control the purchase of these pills," he said, adding that a panel had been set up to come up with disciplinary measures.

However, the ministry is still waiting for an investigation report on a pharmacist at the Udon Thani hospital, who is believed to be involved in the disappearance of the pills.

In relation to the investigation into the Nong Ki Hospital in Buri Ram, Surachet said the ministry found no irregularities.

"Instead we found that a pharmacist was falsely using the hospital's name to purchase the drugs," he said.

The ministry has temporarily moved this pharmacist to the Buri Ram public health office as it waits for the committee to come up with appropriate punishment.

Meanwhile, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is also looking into the disappearance of millions of cold pills.

DSI staff yesterday looked into disappearances reported at a private hospital and four other clinics in Chiang Mai.

Initial investigation showed that a staff member of the private hospital had faked the director's signature to order more than 200,000 since 2010. It is believed the person was supplying the pills to drug dealers in a neighbouring country.

-- The Nation 2012-04-06

[Jaivin2011]

As all these illicit activities happened mostly in government controlled hospitals, what is needed is not changes that will make costs more inconveniences to doctors and patients but rather the whole Ministry Of Public Health needs to be revamped starting with the sackings of all the top heads and then followed by the prosecution of all these officials who allowed it to happen in the first place. The Ministry of Public health and The FDA dept is lead by Baffoons and corrupted officials in the first place.I was recently told by a German Businessman in Thailand who is bringing in a new range of candy and also cough drops from Germany that he needed to pay Bt 15,000 first to the junior official processing the fda licenses and that later more will be expected if not , the fda will not be passed. He had only just lodged in his fda application about a week ago.

Edited April 6, 2012 by Scott
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[atyclb]

As all thse illicit activities happened mostly in government controlled hospitals, what is needed is not changes that will make costs more inconveniences to doctors and patients but rather the whole Ministry Of Public Health needs to be revamped starting with the sackings of all the top heads and then followed by the prosecution of all these officials who allowed it to happen in the first place.

In order for that to happen you'd need honor, integrity, and bonafide accountability to exist in general in society

The Ministry of Public health and The FDA dept is lead by Baffoons and corrupted officials in the first place.I was recently told by a German Businessman in Thailand who is bringing in a new range of candy and also cough drops from Germany that he needed to pay Bt 15,000 first to the junior offical processing the fda licenses and that later more will be expected if not , the fda willnot be passed. He had only just lodged in his fda application about a week ago.

Edited April 6, 2012 by Scott
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[yougivemebaby]

Sounds great they are realizing what people are doing with this drug. I was in patong once yes once. I heard a farang speak openly to the pharmacist about what he was going to do with the medicine. They should do what the us does and register all purchases of this highly abused drug. Keep a database. I'm tired of all the druggies.

[atyclb]

Pseudophedrine was already tightly controlled. Pharmacies did not have it and directed people to hospitals as it was the only way available. Their controls didn't / dont work. In all honesty I do not know of a single control that does work.

Nobody gets addicted to sudafed. Great for colds and perk up enough to function.

[how241]

Pseudophedrine was already tightly controlled. Pharmacies did not have it and directed people to hospitals as it was the only way available. Their controls didn't / dont work. In all honesty I do not know of a single control that does work.

Nobody gets addicted to sudafed. Great for colds and perk up enough to function.

+1

[MEL1]

"the ministry’s inspector Dr Surachet Satitniramai said the director and chief pharmacist at a hospital in Udon Thani [were] just ignorant about having to control the purchase of these pills, he said"

Of course! The 'chief pharmacist', in conjunction with the director, just didn't know how to do his job, and they didn't make a financial killing as a result of this ignorance, did they?

-mel.

[NomadJoe]

Pseudophedrine was already tightly controlled. Pharmacies did not have it and directed people to hospitals as it was the only way available. Their controls didn't / dont work. In all honesty I do not know of a single control that does work.

Nobody gets addicted to sudafed. Great for colds and perk up enough to function.

+1

Are you two not aware that methamphetamine (Yahbah) is made from pseudophedrine?

"They were just ignorant about having to control the purchase of these pills," he said, adding that a panel had been set up to come up with disciplinary measures.

He is saying that "they" didn't know that it's used to make meth, which is bullshit of course. No one in the healthcare/pharmaceutical industry cannot be aware of this fact.

[Colabamumbai]

Some cops in Kalasin area recently failed a drug test, they tested positive for yaba.

[atyclb]

Some cops in Kalasin area recently failed a drug test, they tested positive for yaba.

Pseudophedrine can cause a false positive methamphetamine test, but perhaops the cops positive result was not a false positive.

[IAMHERE]

I feel that Dr Paijit Warachit doesn't know what he is talking about when he says that other drugs can do the same to help a person that has a cold. There is no good or cheap substitute for pseudophedrine when it is used for relieving nasal and sinus congestion. It is an inexpensive and convienient drug for cold sufferers. Try capital punishment for these high level drug dealers that are abusing pseudophedrine rather than making everyone that has a cold suffer for the criminal use of pseudophedrine.

[atyclb]

Imagine if the junkies find a way to make Yaba from Viagra and Cialis ?

[roamer]

I feel that Dr Paijit Warachit doesn't know what he is talking about when he says that other drugs can do the same to help a person that has a cold. There is no good or cheap substitute for pseudophedrine when it is used for relieving nasal and sinus congestion. It is an inexpensive and convienient drug for cold sufferers. Try capital punishment for these high level drug dealers that are abusing pseudophedrine rather than making everyone that has a cold suffer for the criminal use of pseudophedrine.

In the US some manufacturers have dropped production of products containing the alternative, phenylephrine stating poor efficiency. End of the day though this move was inevitable given the proliferation of the extremely hazardous "no-cook" methods proliferating on the net...hazardous to others in the vicinity as well. Some years back Tiffy had to be reformulated when they pulled phenylpropanolamine (very effective ingredient) from the market, the problem there not addicts but its use in excess as a diet aid causing strokes (allegedly). In the UK you can purchase limited quantities of medicines containing pseudoephedrine from a pharmacist but I doubt you could allow the same practice in LOS without significant quantities finding their way onto the black market....

[espinoza]

As all these illicit activities happened mostly in government controlled hospitals, what is needed is not changes that will make costs more inconveniences to doctors and patients but rather the whole Ministry Of Public Health needs to be revamped starting with the sackings of all the top heads and then followed by the prosecution of all these officials who allowed it to happen in the first place. The Ministry of Public health and The FDA dept is lead by Baffoons and corrupted officials in the first place.I was recently told by a German Businessman in Thailand who is bringing in a new range of candy and also cough drops from Germany that he needed to pay Bt 15,000 first to the junior official processing the fda licenses and that later more will be expected if not , the fda will not be passed. He had only just lodged in his fda application about a week ago.

Everybody in the world know this is the most corrupt country in the world. To change it , it would be needed an big dirty war. That will not happen, and everything will be as usual. For now its an government that claim to get rid of the shit, but they are as corrupt as any. The next government will also claim their fight against corruption, but their disipples are already corrupt themselves. The overhead of this country should fired every corrupt civil servant, included the military and the police. After this process they should employ only new peoples in the important positions. And also implement the worst punishment for whatever that tastes of corruption . The Chineese shoot the <deleted>..ing head of the sh.t.

[GentlemanJim]

Door, Horse. Bolted!

[Tywais]

Pseudophedrine was already tightly controlled. Pharmacies did not have it and directed people to hospitals as it was the only way available.

Really? Tiffy has been available at nearly every mom & pop shop you come across and minor pharmacies prior to the current issue. Still have some from our little moo bahn store I bought a few months ago. Have not heard about it nor seen it (Tiffy which contains Pseudophedrine) being 'tightly' controlled in my many years here.

[Colabamumbai]

Marketing move to increase in the price of yaba on the streets??