Source: ORM Portal - Belém / PA - CAPA - 23/09/2010

Operation Topázio has already seized at least 10 tons of irregular medicines in more than 20 municipalities in Pará. The irregularities range from counterfeiting of products to smuggling and even the sale of medicines without any Anvisa registration. The operation started in August and is now in its seventh edition.

Only in the last action, which took place on Monday (20), in Irituia, northeastern Pará, almost two tons of irregular medicines were seized. In the municipality predominates the sale of medicines without Anvisa registration. They are herbal remedies. There are drugs that promise a cure for everything, said to be miraculous, informed the inspector of the Regional Pharmacy Council, Nelson Oliveira.

Oliveira, explains the risks of consuming drugs without the Agency's registration. Every product in the country must be registered with Anvisa, because that is what offers guarantee of quality and efficiency of the product and those that were seized are just the opposite, with high levels of toxicity, which can lead to death, he warns.

The pharmacist says he saw in practice what the unregistered drug can cause to the patient. "In Irituia we found people who said they had consumed these drugs and who were even in a very serious state of weakness, even having to move to a large center for recovery."

He also points out that these inappropriate products, instead of helping, can have serious consequences, such as the paralysis of important organs. "It can paralyze the liver and kidneys, which can lead to death," he says.

The action continues on Thursday (23), in the municipality of Santarém, in western Pará.

ORM Portal Writing