Pharmaceuticals distributor Astra Pharma has license suspended

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The State Medicines Agency has suspended the operation license of the Astra Pharma pharmaceuticals wholesaler for alleged purchase and resale of counterfeit medicines. The violation is connected to the purchase of re-packed medicines that were purchased from an unlicensed seller. The Health Inspection has launched an investigation into the matter.

The State Medicines Agency stated that they decided about suspending the license after receiving a tip from an outside source.

"We received information from the European Medicines Agency about possible counterfeiting of drugs in Latvia, that a Latvian wholesaler ships it," said Egita Diure from the State Medicines Agency.

The content of the medicines doesn't appear to have been altered, rather that the expiration date had been re-marked on the package.

The company was perplexed about the situation. A representative of the company said that they don't re-package medicines themselves, but the purchase of drugs from an unlicensed seller was attributed to human error. They are going to appeal the decision to suspend the license.

'Counterfeit drugs' is a buzzing topic in the world and particularly in the European Union. Some sources estimate that 10 to 30% of medicines available on the market are fake.

The Health Inspection is to reach a conclusion about the activities of Astra Pharma and to decide on the fate of the company within a month.

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