SOME 20,000 capsules of undeclared regulated drugs from New Delhi, India, including the controversial drug Ivermectin, were seized Wednesday night by airport customs officials.
Imported by Finstad Inc. the shipment, declared as food supplement and multivitamins, were delivered at the Paircargo warehouse.
Customs examiners said that the undeclared Ivermectin and the other regulated drugs were concealed in the inner portion of the shipping package, while covered with other regulated drugs.
Ivermectin is a medication used to treat many types of parasite infestations. In humans, this includes head lice, scabies, river blindness, strongyloidiasis, trichuriasis, ascariasis, and lymphatic filariasis. In veterinary medicine, it is used to prevent and treat heartworm and acariasis, among other indications.
It is now at the center of a raging debate between health authorities, regulators, policymakers and lawmakers, and health practitioners amid rising claims that it can be used to help prevent and/or cure Covid-19.
Many patients and doctors abroad have claimed that Ivermectin could cure Covid-19, and nearly two dozen clinical trials around the world are ongoing. While health and science regulators earlier said they would rather wait for the outcomes of the major studies, they recently decided, at the prodding of President Duterte, to hold local trials on Ivermectin, for which P22 million has been budgeted.
On the shipment seized Wednesday night, Customs authorities alerted Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director Jesusa Joyce N. Cirunay of the Center for Drug Regulation and Research.
In a reply letter to Bureau of Customs (BOC) queries, the FDA said: “At present, the drug is under compassionate use in Specialized Institutions authorized by FDA through the issuance of Compassionate Special permit (CSP).”
The FDA said there are now six hospitals with CSPs to use Ivermectin as treatment for its Covid-19 patients.
The anti-parasitic drug is being pushed by some, particularly by two lawmakers, to help fight Covid-19, despite health authorities’ warning on the need to watch out for long-term effects.
The Philippine Medical Association prescribes Ivermectin against Covid-19 but only in hospitals given the CSPs.
“That means we are not stopping the doctors and hospitals that can prescribe it and the hospitals can freely identify themselves,” the FDA said.
In a joint statement on Thursday, members of the Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against Covid-19 (HPAAC) said claims by supporters that Ivermectin is effective and safe from side effects remain based on “low-quality evidence.”
“Let us not patronize yet the Ivermectin to prevent further risk to our health,” HPAAC said. “We also remind the public that it is not certain whether Ivermectin available now is fake or effective due to its violations of FDA’s regulatory processes.”Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, meanwhile, directed the airport Customs unit “to expedite the processing and release of Covid-19 vaccines, drugs and other medical supplies.”
Image courtesy of BUREAU OF CUSTOMS
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