On May 27, the Lam Dong Provincial Department of Health notified medical facilities, drug wholesale and retail businesses in the area to refrain from purchasing or using the product NEXIUM® 40mg Enterik Kapli Pellet Tablet (Esomeprazol), lot number 23H420, expiration date 9-2027.
Image of the counterfeit drug as notified by the Drug Administration for recall
The facilities are requested to promptly report any signs of suspected drug counterfeiting or illegal drug trading to the health authorities and relevant functional agencies.
According to the Drug Administration, on May 22, 2025, the Administration received a document along with the analysis report 601/KNT-25 from the Hanoi Center for Drug and Medicine Testing regarding the product labeled as NEXIUM® 40mg Enterik Kapli Pellet Tablet (Esomeprazol), lot number 23H420, expiration date 9-2027.
The sample, obtained from Anh Duc Pharmacy, a member of Duc Anh Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment Company, Ltd. (Lang Ha Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi), lacked information on the circulation registration number or import license number, and did not specify the manufacturing or importing facility on the label. The sample also failed to meet the quality requirements for the Esomeprazol quantitative indicator according to the reference standard.
The Drug Administration requested the Hanoi Department of Health to promptly report to the Steering Committee 389 and coordinate with the police, market management, and local Steering Committee 389 to inspect and examine Anh Duc Pharmacy to trace the origin of the above-mentioned lot; strict handling of violations is required according to regulations.
The Administration also requested the Departments of Health of provinces and centrally-run cities to inform drug trading facilities and the public not to purchase or use the counterfeit NEXIUM® 40mg Enterik Kapli Pellet Tablet (Esomeprazol) mentioned above.
Previously, in February 2024, the Drug Administration issued a document to the Departments of Health of provinces and centrally-run cities, notifying the discovery of several suspected counterfeit drug lots, including the identification of Nexium 40mg, Enterik Kapli Pellet Tablet, AstraZeneca, lot number 21H979, with 4 strips per box and 7 tablets per strip, as a drug not permitted for circulation and suspected to be counterfeit.
The Departments of Health are requested to coordinate with relevant agencies to inspect, verify, and trace the origin of the above-mentioned products suspected of illegal importation or circulation.
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