The Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA) has shut down a factory and a packaging facility belonging to Hong Thai Herbal Company and seized 2.4 million jars of inhalers, including 400,000 ‘Formula 2’ inhalers, worth about 100 million baht.
Thai FDA Secretary-General Supatra Boonserm told the media today that the factory, located on Phet Kasem Soi 120 in Krathum Baen district of Samut Sakhon province, and the packaging facility, on Sirikasem Soi 7 in Bangkok’s Bang Khae district, were operating without licenses.
She said the Thai FDA had warned the company to apply for the required permits, but the warning was ignored. Both facilities have been operating illegally for about three years, she added.
Thiraphong Rabuetham, founder and proprietor of Hong Thai Herbal Company, claimed that the company had never been contacted by Thai FDA officials regarding its herbal inhaler products. He added that, while the company had submitted design plans for the factory to the Thai FDA, it had not yet applied for a production license.
Thiraphong Rabuetham
Thai FDA officials and police from the Consumer Protection Division (CPD) raided the two facilities in Bangkok and Samut Sakhon today and seized the products, including the ‘Formula 2’ jars, which were found to be substandard due to the presence of microorganisms.
The CPD said they will summon the company’s proprietor to acknowledge the charges to be filed.
CPD officers and Thai FDA officials will also conduct random inspections at pharmacies nationwide to ensure that ‘Formula 2’ inhalers have been recalled and are no longer available for sale.
