News
Warehouse raid reveals outdated skin ointment repacked for distribution
About 5,000 tubes of ointment, that had passed their dates and were ready to be released to the market with new packaging, were recovered from a warehouse owned by a registered medicinal drug distributor at Kirimandala Mawatha, Nawala.
Uditha Perera
The Panadura-Walana Anti-Vice Squad together with the Cosmetic Devices and Drug Regulatory Authority (CDDRA) officers raided the warehouse last week and found ‘hydrocortisone ointment BP’, a medication used to treat skin conditions such as dermatitis, allergies and itching.
Hydrocortisone reduces swelling, itchiness and redness caused by these skin conditions. Anti Vice Squad Director Uditha Perera said five persons were released on bail and ordered to appear before the Colombo Fort Magistrate on December 10.
He said 8,673 empty packs with new expiry dates were also found in the premises. The raid was conducted under the supervision of Anti-Vice Squad OIC Duminda Balasuriya. A police decoy posed as a pharmacist.
“The original expiry date was 2013, while the new packs had 2014, and some 2015, as expiry dates,” he said.
CDDRA’s Chief Food and Drug Inspector Amith Perera said that investigations had commenced and warehouses of all registered distributors and importers would be thoroughly inspected.
He said some repacked drugs had been sent to areas such as Polonnaruwa and Galle. He warned of a possible adverse reaction or of the ointment not being effective.
A pharmacist checks hydrocortisone ointment BP tubes
The packages that were discovered. Pix by M.D. Nissanka