Sehat Badan coffee retailers in Davao monitored
October 28, 2015 at 10:25am
FDA Davao supervisor Deborah S. Legaspi said the product contained drug active ingredients that pose danger to health.
She added that their central office earlier received reports on consumers who died after regularly taking the product. The product was claimed to be good for the asthma, ulcer, tumor, anemia, goiter, insomnia, stroke, rheumatism, high blood pressure, kidney stones, migraine, liver disease, skin allergies, among other diseases.
But recent laboratory analysis revealed that the product contained Dexamethasone in addition to Diclofenac sodium, Paracetamol, and Ibuprofen.
The Dexamethasone is a steroid, classified as prescription drug, while Diclofenac sodium, Paracetamol and Ibuprofen are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are required to be purchased from a licensed drugstore.
Legaspi said they confiscated around 1,000 boxes of the SehatBadan coffee following an earlier advisory of FDA central office.
She added that there are still vendors selling the product along San Pedro Street and Magsaysay Avenue.
"We have been conducting surveillance and confiscation activities in the markets pero meron pa rin nakakalusot. The problem is patago na ito. Hindi na nila ito dini-display sa stalls nila," Legaspi said.
Legaspi said they believed that the product entered the market through other backdoor regions in Mindanao.
She added that FDA is targeting and looking for the suppliers of the product.
FDA central, in its advisory, said SehatBadan is being offered for sale as an unlabeled powder repacked in a small plastic bag with a piece of paper stating the list of therapeutic claims.
According to FDA, the misuse and/or chronic use of the steroid like Dexamethasone may result to serious adverse reactions such as gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, obesity, and dyslipidemia.
It also increase risk for infections, poor wound healing, and if it stopped abruptly, it could cause withdrawal signs and symptoms such as hypotension, shock and coma.
The importation, selling/offering for sale of such product is in direct violation of the Republic Act No. 9711 or the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009.
Source: sunstar.com.ph
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