Man Charged with Violating Philippines’ Laws on Counterfeit Drugs

Authorities in the Philippines recently arrested a man from Pakistan for allegedly selling pills that can cause abortions, some of which may have been counterfeit.

Mohammed Hanif, a 53-year-old, was arrested for selling the drugs in a supermarket parking lot in Libis, said chief inspector Jerome Balbontin of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit in Metro Manila, reports Inquirer.net.

According to police, Hanif was selling a drug that can induce labor and cause abortions, but can also treat gastric ulcers. Authorities confiscated about 5,000 of the pills from Hanif. Another man was with Hanif at the time of his arrest, but authorities say that he was able to flee the scene before he was apprehended.

According to Balbontin, Hanif will be charged with violating Republic Act 8203 under the Laws on Counterfeit Drugs.

Counterfeit drugs are dangerous as they can contain a number of deadly ingredients not meant for human consumption. In 1998, more than 400 people died in Nigeria, Haiti and Bangladesh from taking a counterfeit medication that was treated with a solvent used in wallpaper remover.