Source: O Liberal - Belém / PA - 16/04/2010

More than half of the 21 pharmacies inspected by "Operation Topázio" were partially or totally banned. Yesterday, three pharmacies were closed during the third day of inspection by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in Belém, as they are operating irregularly.

Former Belém councilor José Maria Machado Marques, known as “Zé da Farmácia”, owner of one of the establishments, was taken to the headquarters of the Federal Police Superintendence to provide clarifications on the sale of medicines and irregular hygiene products.

From Tuesday the 13th until yesterday, eleven pharmacies were closed due to irregularities in the documentation with Anvisa and with the medication sold, six of them in the neighborhoods of Terra Firme and Telégrafo. Yesterday morning, the pharmacy 'Deus ProverR was closed in the neighborhood of Bengui. The technicians of the federal and municipal Health Surveillance found drugs for erectile dysfunction without a proven origin. According to the president of the Regional Pharmacy Council (CRF), Daniel Costa, the medically apprehended person, who has the same functionality as Viagra, had no registration with Anvisa and was allegedly smuggled.

Expired medications and personal care products, herbal medicines without registration with Anvisa and fractional remedies were also found, according to the Federal Police. The owner of the pharmacy “Deus Proverá” is former councilman Zé da Farmácia, from PTB. He was taken, along with the seized products, to the PF headquarters to provide clarification on the origin of the drugs. In a note sent to the newsroom, the PF informed that the ex-councilman was arrested in the act.

Just yesterday morning, another Anvisa team, accompanied by technicians from the municipal Health Surveillance and representatives from the CRF, banned the herbalist “Pau de Verônica”, which sold medicinal products in Entroncamento. Based on information from the Council, herbal medicines sold were not registered with Anvisa, which would have caused the establishment to close.

The primary products industry, which operated alongside herbal medicine, was inspected, but was not banned. On Avenida Almirante Barroso, another herbal medicine industry was inspected, but no irregularities were detected.

The technicians of the federal and municipal Health Surveillance also inspected some establishments and grocery stores near the Império Amazônico complex, in the Sousa district. The points of sale of medicines that did not have legal authorization for operation were administratively notified by Anvisa, but none of them were closed.

CAMPAIGN

"Operation Topázio" is part of the True Medication campaign and also aims to guide the population on the risks of consuming counterfeit and out-of-date medicines. The operation in the capital of Pará is indefinite and was signed through an agreement between Anvisa and the Federal Police, in 2007. In addition to the joint action with state and municipal health surveillance, which intensified inspections in pharmacies and drugstores in the country, PF guarantees security to Anvisa agents during operations.

In 2009, 333 tons of irregular products were seized, including counterfeit, unregistered and smuggled drugs. In the previous year, only 40 tons were seized in the operations.

Former MP's sentence could reach 15 years in prison, says police chief

Former councilor from Belém, José Maria Machado Marques, from PTB, known as 'Zé da Farmácia', was arrested in the act for falsifying and adulterating medicines, quackery and smuggling of medicines. His arrest is included among the series of inspections by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).

Federal Police Chief Gastão Schefer Neto explains that Zé da Farmácia was framed in Article 273 of the Penal Code, which provides for a penalty of 10 to 15 years for forgery, corruption, adulteration and alteration of therapeutic and medicinal products. Among them, imported drugs for erectile dysfunction with the same effect as viagra were being sold out of date and without registration with Anvisa. Herbal medicines were also being marketed in the same condition. In the establishments, domestic workers were also found with the expired validation period.

The specialist in regulation of the National Agency, João Roberto Ferreira, affirms that the pharmacy of the ex-councilman, "Deus Proverá", also did not have a professional pharmacist, as determined by the law for such establishments to work. Another irregularity was the sale of fractional or “retail” medicines. “This type of commercialization prevents the consumer from having access to essential information about the medicine. In a case of adverse reaction, the doctor does not know how to treat, because he does not even know what substances were ingested ”, he points out.

Zé da Farmácia is the first alternate councilor in the Belém Municipality of the Brazilian Labor Party. When councilor Antônio Vinagre, of the same caption, asked for permission to exercise the position of municipal health secretary, it was José who took the seat in the Municipal Parliament.

Irregular medicines are left

According to the balance sheet of “Operation Topázio”, presented at a press conference yesterday afternoon, at the Regional Pharmacy Council (CRF), of the 21 establishments visited, eight were closed and three received a deadline to comply with the determinations established by Anvisa. Among the partially banned are two large pharmacy chains in the region. The operation also registered eight arrests for drug trafficking, sale of unregistered or overdue medicines. One hundred tons of drugs were seized.

The federal health inspector of Anvisa's intelligence area, Marcel Figueira, reported that the amount of unregistered drugs sold in pharmacies in the Metropolitan Region of Belém (RMB) surprised the inspectors. Another unexpected fact, according to him, was the large number of substances that promised “miracle cures” marketed in establishments in the region. In the large drug chains, however, no counterfeit or unregistered drugs were found. "In these, the biggest problem encountered is the irregular sale of prescription drugs," he said. According to him, a “black stripe” medicine costs up to three times more than its original value on the black market.

Figueira also informed that the clandestine sale of synthetic drugs - stimulants such as anabolic steroids and “rivets” - generated revenues of US $ 65 billion in 2008, according to data released by the World Health Organization (WHO). This recipe exceeds the sale of drugs like cocaine. “There is a total disregard for the sale of medicines. In this operation, 100 tons of irregular medicines were seized. Of these, some were counterfeit, others were unregistered, cosmetics were sold out of date, etc. ”, he explained.