The meeting ‘starts’ for VN Pharma to import fake drugs to sell to patients

Filipino man meeting

After many hours of announcing the indictment, at the end of May 12, the trial of 14 defendants in the case of trafficking in counterfeit drugs with the Canadian Heath 2000 brand occurred at the Company. VN Pharma start questioning.

Responding to the jury, defendant Nguyen Minh Hung (former chairman and general director of VN Pharma) admitted his mistake and asked to be responsible for selling fake drugs to the market for patients to use.

Hung further stated that the reason for raising the price of fake drugs with the Heath 2000 Canada label was that the defendant’s business borrowed a large amount of money from the bank, so the drug sales must be commensurate with the loan amount.

According to defendant Hung, from the introduction of Nguyen Le Xuan Khang (Viet Kieu residing in Canada, currently on the run), the defendant just knew Vo Manh Cuong (former Director of H&C Company). From Cuong, Hung had the opportunity to work with Mr. Raymundo Y.Mararac (Filipino nationality, Heath 2000 Canada Production Manager in the Philippines and also CEO of Helix Canada Company).

After meeting and making an agreement with Mr. Raymundo Y.Mararac, Hung contacted Vo Manh Cuong to order 4 drugs manufactured by Helix Canada Company, with the same active ingredients, uses and trade names as those of the company. Health 2000 Canada has been granted a Visa by the Drug Administration (Ministry of Health).

Hung said that at that time, Helix Canada had not been granted a license by Vietnamese authorities to operate drugs and medicinal ingredients in Vietnam, so it could not be imported. Therefore, Hung and Cuong agreed to set up internal contracts between VN Pharma and Helix Canada to order, monitor the payment and bind the delivery schedule between the two parties.

Next, Hung directed his subordinates to forge 15 sales contracts, along with 26 appendices between VN Pharma and Austin Hong Kong Company (which has been granted a license to operate by a foreign drug company by the Ministry of Health). and medicinal ingredients in Vietnam since 2002) so that four fake Heath 2000 Canadian medicines can be imported into Vietnam.

For his part, defendant Vo Manh Cuong admitted to taking Mr. Raymundo Y.Mararac to meet Hung but denied that he directly represented Helix Canada to sell fake drugs to VN Pharma. Cuong said that he only witnessed Hung’s purchase agreement with Mr. Raymundo Y.Mararac.

Former deputy minister Truong Quoc Cuong (rightmost white shirt) and 13 defendants.

Legalization of fake drug import documents, double drug prices

The content of the indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy shows that, at the end of October 2012, Cuong took Hung to meet Mr. Raymundo Y.Mararac to resolve the conflict of drug sales between Hung and Nguyen Le Xuan Khang before. At the meeting, Hung agreed to buy medicine from Helix Canada Company. The parties have agreed that Mr. Raymundo Y.Mararac will provide Helix Canada’s FSC and GMP documents for VN Pharma to apply for a Visa to import drugs that the Vietnamese market is in need of.

Pending the visa, Helix Canada will manufacture drugs with the same active ingredients, uses and trade names as those sold by Heath 2000 Canada to VN Pharma. Mr. Raymundo Y.Mararac appointed Cuong as the representative of Helix Canada, dealing with sales and market development on behalf of him.

Hung then agreed with Cuong to buy 4/7 drugs manufactured by Helix Canada (actually a fake Heath 2000 Canada drug). In order to import this drug to Vietnam, Hung directed defendants Phan Cam Loan (former Deputy Head of VN Pharma’s Import-Export Department) and Nguyen Thi Quyet (former employee of VN Pharma’s Import-Export Department) to forge contracts between the company. VN Pharma and Austin Hong Kong Company.

The Procuratorate affirmed that there was no purchase or sale between VN Pharma and Austin Hong Kong… the above contracts were only to legalize import procedures, customs clearance and payment for drugs.

From November 2012 to June 2014, Nguyen Minh Hung imported 838,100 boxes of fake Heath 2000 Canadian medicines, worth more than 25.9 billion VND, then raised the price to more than 54 billion VND. The number of counterfeit drugs sold by VN Pharma to pharmaceutical businesses, hospitals, and drugstores totals 623,819 boxes, earning an illegal profit of more than 31.5 billion dong.