Warning aired on stolen medicine

MANILA, Philippines–The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has advised the public to keep an eye out for vitamin and medicine products reported stolen by pharmaceutical company Abbott Laboratories (Philippines).

Among those taken in a cargo theft were ascorbic acid (Cecon) 500 mg chewable tablets with registration no. DRHR-1608, lot nos. 44783XP, 44784XP and 44785XP, and expiry date Aug. 25, 2016.

Mutivitamins + Iron (Iberet-Folic 500) film-coated tablets with registration no. DR-XY33496, lot no. 44757XP and expiry date, Aug. 15, 2016, were also taken.

Divalproex sodium (Epival) 250 mg enteric coated tablets with registration no. DR-XY34509, lot no. 44762XP, and expiry date Aug. 21, 2016, were also stolen.

The FDA said the lot numbers were not a guarantee of storage according to Good Storage Practices.

“Thus, the safety, efficacy and quality of these lots are not assured. These present a safety risk and potential adverse health consequences,” it added.–Tina G. Santos