Legal Action to be Taken If Pharmacists Don’t Tell Who Supplied Compromised Medicine

It is not sure if the drugs were smuggled into Belize, and the pharmacy in question refuses to inform the Ministry of Health who supplied them with the unauthorized medication. The release goes on to say that other pharmacies in possession of this pharmaceutical must remove it from the shelves and discontinue its sale. Doctor Manzanero says that pharmacies that are not compliant could be shut down.

On the Phone: Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services

“You might have general products that have the proof of purchase, that are able to document that they are the original with all the adequate packaging, lot number, box number. If all of that is in place, we shouldn’t have a problem. It is not that we are witch-hunting any particular company or pharmacy or products. But if you don’t meet those requirements then we will not allow you to sell it whenever we detect it.”

Duane Moody

“Have the ministry been able to determine who is the importer and what kind of penalties can be issued to that person?”

On the Phone: Dr. Marvin Manzanero

“The people who were at the pharmacy did not want to say who gave it to them or where they got it from. As I said, they willingly gave up the product. We have written, I just wrote a letter to the pharmacy in question and they were given seven days to answer and they were also told, because this is the second irregularity upon them, that if they don’t provide an answer within seven days then we will take full legal action against them.”