Prosecution to call five more witnesses to testify

Jul 02, 2021 News

Pharmaceutical supplier charged for providing fake HIV testing kits…

Kaieteur News – Before the prosecution closes its case for the pharmaceutical supplier who allegedly provided the Ministry of Health (MOH) with fake HIV testing kits, it is expected to call five more witnesses to testify. The matter will continue today in the Leonora Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate, Zameena Ali-Seepaul.

Charged, Davendra Rampersaud.

The defendant, Davendra Rampersaud, Technical Consultant to Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc., is the representative who is facing the charge.
The company, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc., of Area ‘G’ Hydronie Railway, Parika, East Bank Essequibo, is one of the country’s largest pharmaceutical supply companies. The charge was brought against the company last year by the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD).
According to information provided, Magistrate Ali-Seepaul is now in trial mode for the matter. On the first hearing of the matter, Rampersaud denied the charge which alleged that on January 16, 2020, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc., allegedly sold and supplied 400 units (20 packs) of Uni-Gold HIV Test Kits, Batch #HIV7120026, with misleading representation, a violation of the Food and Drugs Act of 1971.
Rampersaud is charged for selling and supplying the devices with misleading representation, which is a violation of the Food and Drugs Act, Cap 34:03 part V section 18 (1) of 1971, to the Materials Management Unit located at 55-56 First Avenue, Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
According to reports, a quantity of the testing kits was seized by the GA-FDD from the Materials Management Unit of the MoH at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, and from local hospitals and laboratories.
This publication had reported that the probe was launched into the fake HIV testing kits after an Irish manufacturer wrote to the former Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, during January 2020, warning that it is aware of counterfeit Uni-Gold HIV test kits in Guyana.
The Irish company supplied photographic evidence, which indicated clearly that the kits expired since July 2019. In its complaint, the company, Trinity Biotech, named Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc., as the company that was allegedly supplying the expired testing kits.
According to the company, the fake boxes were created with expiry dates extended by 17 months, and the kits repacked in them. Trinity Biotech said that the products were already six months out of date when they were brought to Guyana. The company further claimed that its Trinidad-based authorised distributor, Transcontinental Medical Products Limited, is the only authorised distributor for the Uni-Gold kits to Guyana.