THE World Health Organization (WHO) has released a medical product alert against counterfeit Verorab vaccines, an anti-rabies vaccine, reportedly found circulating in the country.
“This Medical Product Alert relates to falsified Verorab® vaccines that have been identified in the Philippines and reported to WHO. This vaccine is used for the prevention of rabies in children and adults. It can be used to protect those who are at risk of exposure to rabies (pre-exposure vaccination) or to prevent the development of rabies after exposure has occurred, usually following the bite of an animal suspected of having rabies (post-exposure prophylaxis),” said the WHO.
The original Verorab vaccine is being manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur.
The WHO said that “two falsified vaccines have so far been discovered.” It said that Verorab vaccines with batch number NIE35 and H1833 are counterfeit.
“The stated manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, has confirmed they did not manufacture these falsified vaccines,” the WHO said.
The organization, meanwhile, noted that “there have been no known adverse reactions reported to WHO at this stage.”
“WHO requests increased vigilance within the supply chains of countries likely to be affected by these falsified vaccines. Increased vigilance should include hospitals, clinics, health centres, wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies and any other suppliers of vaccines,” it said.
“If you are in possession of the above vaccines, please do not use. If you have used these falsified vaccines, or if you suffer an adverse event having used these vaccines, please seek immediate advice from a qualified healthcare professional, and ensure they report the incident to your local Ministry of Health/National Medicines Regulatory Authorities/National Pharmacovigilance Centre,” the organization added.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a recent statement said that they received a complaint from The Medical City regarding counterfeit anti-rabies vaccines that they had procured.
The FDA said the counterfeit vaccines do not contain labels about its FDA-licensed Philippine importer and distributor; FDA Registration Number; Rx symbol; FDA caution statement on dispensing; and a barcode.
The alleged distributor of the counterfeit anti-rabies vaccine, based on the complaint lodge by The Medical City, was identified as Geramil Trading located in Calumpit, Bulacan.
“FDA dispatched a team to The Medical City and was able to acquire copies of their transaction with Geramil Trading. Sanofi Pasteur’s verification indicated that the submitted sample VERORAB vaccine is not a legitimate and registered product,” the agency said.
“Different FDA teams have began scouring different hospitals in Pampanga and Bulacan who may have procured the counterfeit vaccines from Geramil Trading and prevent them from further dispensing said products to the public,” it added.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in a radio interview Friday said that the Department of Health (DoH) is now coordinating with the WHO in conducting an investigation with regards to the issue.
The DoH regional offices were also directed to visit all hospitals and other places that these counterfeit anti-rabies vaccines may have reached and confiscate them, he added. (Analou de Vera)
