A former member of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has criticised the Thai Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) for over-reacting and exceeding its authority by presenting the executives of Hong Thai to the media over the recent finding that some of the company’s Hong Thai inhaler products are substandard.
The FDA announced that tests on a batch of the ‘Formula 2’ inhalers, produced on December 9, 2024, found it to be contaminated with microorganisms. It has urged consumers to exercise caution when purchasing or using the inhaler. Formulas 1, 3 and 4 were, however, found to comply with safety standards.
The company has admitted the mistake and has recalled more than 200,000 bottles of Formula 2 Hong Thai inhalers for destruction and has agreed to refund the consumers or to send them replacements free of charge.
Associate Professor Dr. Pana Thogmee-arkhom, former NBTC member and a former lecturer at the Faculty of Communication Arts at Chulalongkorn University, criticised the FDA’s conduct in the handling of this issue.
In his Facebook post yesterday, Dr. Pana said the FDA’s conduct is typical of the “simplistic” approach of bureaucrats, who do not seem to care about the damage caused to businessmen.
In regulating pharmaceutical products, he said that the FDA can summon representatives of a company for talks or serve a warning when there is something wrong. If the warning is unheeded, penalties can be meted out in accordance with the law.
Shaming the executives before the media, however, amounts to destroying their business, he claimed, adding that the TFDA has no authority to shame someone in the media.
“The TFDA has not just shamed the company executives, it has also shamed itself,” said Dr. Pana.
