Test to begin May 11
A pharmaceutical supplier is charged for providing expired HIV Testing Kits…
Kaieteur News – The case for a pharmaceutical supply company executive, charged with providing counterfeit HIV testing kits to the Ministry of Health (MoH), is expected to begin May 11, 2021.
Test to start on May 11…
The company, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc., is one of the country’s largest local pharmaceutical supply companies. Last year, the company was charged by the Government Food and Drug Analyst’s Department (GA-FDD) for allegedly providing discontinued HIV testing kits to the MoH.
Area Manager Davendra Rampersaud is the company representative facing the charge in Leonora Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Zameena Ali-Seepaul. The matter is being prosecuted by Shemroy Pompey, Drug Inspector for the GA-FDD.
Kaieteur News had reported that during November 2020, Rampersaud received full statements in the matter.
On his first court appearance, Rampersaud denied the charge, which on January 16, 2020, allegedly alleged Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc. sold and supplied 400 units (20 packs) of Uni-Gold HIV Test Kits, Batch # HIV7120026, with misleading representation, in violation of the Food and Drugs Act 1971.
According to reports, a quantity of the testing kits were seized by the GA-FDD from the MoH Materials Management Unit, at Diamond, Demerara East Bank, and from local hospitals and laboratories.
This publication had reported that the probe had been launched into the fake HIV testing kits after an Irish manufacturer wrote to former Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence during January 2020, warning that he was aware of kits a fake Uni-Gold HIV test in Guyana.
The Irish company supplied photographic evidence, which clearly indicated that the kits were discontinued since July 2019. In its complaint, Trinity Biotech, the company named Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc. as the company allegedly supplying the expired testing kits.
According to the company, the fake boxes were created with expiry dates extended by 17 months and the kits repacked in them. Trinity Biotech said the products were already six months out of date when they were brought to Guyana. The company further claimed that its authorized distributor from Trinidad, Transcontinental Medical Products Limited, is the only authorized distributor for the Uni-Gold kits for Guyana.