The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed 48 online posts of the drug Molnupiravir for alleged unauthorized sale to the public.
FDA deputy director general Oscar Gutierrez said there were nine brands of Molnupiravir sold online. He identified them as Molnarz, Movfor, Moluzen, Molenzavir, Molmed, Mpiravir, Zero Vir, Molnuvid and Movir.
Molnupiravir is used to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in the country.
“Violation po ito ng RA 9711 (Republic Act No. 9711) dahil hindi naman po sila mga rehistradong produkto (This is a violation of RA 9711 because these drugs were not registered ),” Gutierrez said in the weekly taped “Talk to the People” briefing with President Duterte that aired on Tuesday night.
“We have coordinated this with the owners of platforms] and even drug stores,” he said, adding that all listings and postings were taken down.
FDA Act of 2009 or RA 9711 provides that “manufacture, importation, distribution, exportation, sale, offering for sale, transfer, promotion, and advertising or sponsorship of health products without proper FDA authorization are prohibited.”
Offenders could face imprisonment of one year but not more than 10 years, or a fine of P50,000 to P5 million, the FDA said.
In February, the FDA reported that a total of 371 online posts selling medicine have been taken down, while 78 stores have been found selling the unregistered drugs in violation of existing laws this year.
