Jordan- Doctor referred to court for selling smuggled, counterfeit medicine 

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) A Jordanian doctor has been referred to court for selling smuggled and counterfeit medicine in addition to dispensing psychotropic drugs without a prescription, a Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) official said on Monday.

JFDA Director General Hayel Obeidat said the doctor was caught selling these drugs in an apartment in the capital's Wihdat neighbourhood.

The majority of these medicines were sexual enhancers and psychotropic drugs, according to Obeidat.

He noted that the doctor was apprehended as part of an inspection campaign carried out by JFDA inspectors over the weekend in Amman which covered pharmacies, warehouses and shops selling herbal remedies.

The interrogation of the doctor led to a group of people who were trading in counterfeit and smuggled drugs, according to a JFDA statement sent to The Jordan Times yesterday.

"They were also referred to court," the statement said.

According to the latest JFDA report issued late last year, 214 pharmacies were found in violation of the Public Health Law in 2010.

The annual report indicated that two pharmacies were closed for selling counterfeit drugs while 84 were ticketed for operating without licensed pharmacists and 19 for selling free medical samples.

Counterfeit and smuggled medicines worth some JD30 million were seized in 2010, according to statistics from the Public Security Department.

JFDA figures indicate that authorities seized some JD1 million worth of fake and smuggled medicine in 2008, compared to JD16 million in 2007.

In addition, 31 pharmacies were caught selling drugs originating from public institutions and not intended for sale, according to the JFDA report, which noted that 68 pharmacists were referred to the prosecutor general in 2010.