Company that tried to sell vaccine to government not qualified to import drugs
The government on Thursday denied rumours that a local company had tried in vain to sell it Covid-19 vaccines, adding that Accap Assets Ltd was not qualified to import medicines.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri's statement came in response to social media posts saying that Accap Assets Ltd had tried to sell 20 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine to the Thai government, but was refused a meeting with the prime minister and the minister of public health, prompting the company to contact Chulabhorn Royal Academy to sell the vaccine to the academy instead.
“Investigation by the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] revealed that Accap Assets Ltd never filed for registration of the Sinopharm vaccine in the country and therefore was not qualified to import the vaccine into Thailand,” he said.
“The company that has registered Sinopharm’s Covilo vaccine is Bio Genetech Ltd, who submitted the complete documents earlier this week and should get approval soon.
“There is also no record of the company asking to meet with the government’s representatives,” added Anucha. “In fact, companies who wish to import the vaccine must contact either the Government Pharmaceutical Organization or the FDA. There is no need to meet with the prime minister or the minister of public health as the rumour claimed," Anucha said.
“Furthermore, data from Department of Business Development revealed that Accap Assets Ltd has been registered as a real estate business and has no affiliation with drug or medical equipment businesses,” added Anucha.
“We are further investigating the company’s finances and source of income to clarify public doubts.”
FDA secretary-general Dr Paisan Dankhum said during the press conference on Thursday that he was not sure how Accap Assets came to possess Sinopharm vaccine as claimed. He said it is impossible for them to import 20 million doses of vaccine for use in Thailand, as they must file a registration for the drug with the FDA first.”
Meanwhile, Dr Nithi Mahanonda, secretary-general of Chulabhorn Royal Academy, posted on his Facebook on Thursday that he had not received any documents from Accap Assets proposing to sell Covid-19 vaccine to the academy, despite a social media post naming him as the recipient of Accap Assets’ proposal.
“A legitimate importer must have a dossier detailing drug specifications and the manufacturing process from the manufacturer, which must be used to file for drug registration with the FDA,” he said.
“Any company that claims it has millions of doses of vaccine but possesses no such dossier is probably not a legitimate representative, and I would not have met with such a company,” he said.