Parliamentary Health Committee takes action against drug smuggling

The parliamentary committee on health, labor, and social affairs held a meeting on Monday in Parliament, with the participation of the syndicate of drug importers and druggists in Lebanon (LPIA), during which it called for an end to drug smuggling and for sanctions against violating pharmacies.

The meeting was held in the presence of the committee's president, MP Bilal Abdallah, Health Ministers Rakan Nassereddine and Justice Adel Nassar, as well as representatives from the interior and defense ministries and security officials. The syndicate was represented by its vice president, Adnan Dandan, and its treasurer, Marwan Hakim.

"We discussed ways to regulate the drug market in Lebanon and protect citizens from products that do not meet standards," Abdallah said. "The Minister of Health had begun necessary measures, whether at the level of the technical committee of the Ministry of Health or preparations to launch the national drug agency. He also initiated the creation of a central laboratory to examine drugs," the MP stated.

"We call on security services to regulate legal and illegal crossing points [...] We addressed the issue of mafias that have been created with the crisis, especially on social networks. We requested monitoring of sites selling drugs [online]," he added.

With the start of the economic crisis in Lebanon in 2019, smuggled drugs saw an upswing, particularly those manufactured in Iran or Syria, at a time when many brand-name drugs were out of stock in the market. Some of the smuggled drugs, particularly those produced in Syria, are sold without control in Palestinian refugee camps where many illegal pharmacies operate. Accounts selling pharmaceutical products online and on social networks were also particularly active at the height of the crisis.

"The Ministry of Health will file complaints against anyone who undermines the health of Lebanese people. When drugs were subsidized (by the ministry), they were sold in neighboring countries. Then we began to see foreign drugs in Lebanon because of the ministry's budget," the institution indicated.

Subsidized by the Lebanese authorities, many drugs were unlawfully taken out of Lebanon and resold at higher prices abroad, which had exacerbated shortages in the country.

In a statement issued on Monday, the LPIA urged a "definitive end to drug smuggling, due to catastrophic repercussions on the health and safety of citizens," and called for the adoption of a "clear and effective plan, applicable to all without exception." "We join the president of the Order of Pharmacists, Joe Salloum, in affirming that pharmacies must return to being safe places for patients, and wrongdoers must be sanctioned. We call on the Justice Ministry and judicial authorities to closely follow the cases of faulty pharmacies, and security services to dismantle smuggling networks," the statement continued.

"Products entering Lebanon through illegal channels are not drugs. Drug components must be proven by analyses and official documents submitted to legal control authorities," the LPIA stressed in a statement issued following the meeting.

It also urged the owners of pharmaceutical depots as well as the Health Minister to act to remove illegal products from the market and sanction the concerned pharmacies.

The LPIA also assured that pharmaceutical products registered with the Health Ministry and distributed by international companies are available without interruption on the Lebanese market.