Fake HIV test kits to Health Ministry…

The charge against one of the country’s biggest local pharmaceutical supplies companies is expected to continue tomorrow in the Leonora Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Zameena Ali-Seepaul.
The company, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc., is charged with allegedly supplying the Ministry of Health with expired HIV test kits.
The company is being represented by the Area Manager, Davendra Rampersaud, with the matter being prosecuted by Shemroy Pompey, a Drug Inspector for the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD).
The GA-FDD earlier this year charged Rampersaud for supplying 400 of the testing kits with misleading representation, a violation of the Food and Drugs Act of 1971.

According to the particulars of the charge, on January 16, 2020, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc. allegedly sold and supplied 400 units (20 packs) of Uni-gold HIV Test Kits, Batch #HIV7120026.
It was reported that a quantity was later seized by the GA-FDD from the Materials Management Unit of the Ministry of Public Health, at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, and from local hospitals and laboratories. The case had dragged in the World Health Organization (WHO), which issued an alert.
The probe was launched after an Irish manufacturer in January last wrote to the former Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, warning that it is aware that there are counterfeit Uni-Gold HIV test kits in Guyana.

The Irish company supplied photographic evidence, which indicated clearly that the kits expired since July last year. The company, Trinity Biotech, in its complaint, named Caribbean Medical Supplies.
According to the manufacturer, the fake boxes were created with expiry dates extended by 17 months and the kits repacked in them. The Irish pharmaceutical company said that the products were already six months out of date when it was brought to Guyana.

Trinity Biotech also claimed that its Trinidad-based authorized distributor, Transcontinental Medical Products Limited, is the only authorized distributor for the Uni-Gold kits to Guyana and it had not participated in the transaction.
In fact, Trinity called on Lawrence to remove the expired kits from testing centres immediately as they posed health risks to patients.
The company had filed a complaint with the WHO.
Trinity said that it had previously complained about Caribbean Medical Supplies to the Ministry.