Authorities prevent sale of fake and expired medicines

Preliminary investigations revealed that a father and son had been illegally importing these drugs into Uzbekistan and routinely purchasing them at low prices in the Fergana Valley region. They then sold the medications to customers in the capital, Tashkent.

According to a conclusion by the state institution Center for Pharmaceutical Product Safety, these medicines are not registered in the national drug registry, lack conformity certification, and were not stored according to required safety protocols. As such, the storage, sale, transportation, and medical use of these substances are prohibited.

A criminal case has been initiated under Article 25-186-3, Part 3(a) of the Criminal Code, and investigative actions are currently underway.

In a related operation conducted in cooperation with the Department for Combating Economic Crimes, a Tashkent pharmacy was raided. Authorities seized 57,407 doses of 456 types of suspicious drugs, 835 counterfeit empty packages of 18 types of medications, and one drug production device. All were collected as physical evidence.

Experts estimate the total value of the confiscated drugs at approximately 3.5 billion UZS.

Further examination determined that:

• 160 types of these medications were not registered in the national drug registry,
• 274 lacked conformity certificates,
• 50 were of substandard quality or expired,
• and 7 were outright counterfeit.

A separate criminal case has also been opened against pharmacy staff and others under Article 186-3, Part 3(a) of the Criminal Code, with investigations ongoing.