BEIRUT: Minister of Health Wael Abu Faour Monday referred a businessman to the general prosecutor for stocking his warehouse with expired and smuggled medicine banned in Lebanon.
A ministry statement said Abu Faour filed a lawsuit against Ahmed Fouad Wehbeh, who owns a warehouse in the neighborhood of Shiyah in Beirut’s southern suburbs where he has been stocking drugs illegally.
The ministry’s inspectors, backed by a police force, raided his warehouse where they discovered expired drugs which are not licensed to be distributed in Lebanon.
“The act was regarded as a blunt crime against public health, prompting Abu Faour to lodge a personal lawsuit against Wehbeh and whoever is proved to be involved in the case,” the statement said.
A separate statement said Abu Faour also requested pharmaceutical companies manufacturing drugs locally to inform the ministry about any reduction in the prices of drugs, as well as imported medicines within one month of the change, or face legal consequences.
Last week, Abu Faour filed lawsuits against two pharmaceutical companies for overcharging the state for medication used to treat Parkinson’s disease.
A statement said Abu Faour sued a pharmaceutical import company named Mectapharm and the famous drug company Pfizer.
The companies later issued a joint statement denying any wrongdoing.
Abu Faour launched a nationwide campaign to clamp down on corruption in the public health sector last November, which resulted in the closure of dozens of food facilities, slaughterhouses, beauty clinics, and other establishments found to be violating health laws.
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