Makers of fake veterinary medicine uncovered   This man is preparing fake veterinary medicine . Tuoi Tre Two men in Ho Chi Minh City who make veterinary medicine by mixing foreign matters into the genuine medicine earn as much as VND2.5 million (US$118) per 25 kg carton of goods, a Tuoi Treinvestigation has found. Every week the “factory” of the counterfeiters, in an ally of Cong Lo Street, Ward 15, Tan Binh District, “manufactures” and delivers hundreds of antibiotics, such as Amoxicillin and Doxycycline, intended for animals bred for consumption. Dai and Hai, the perpetrators, simply mix lactose into cans of Amoxicillin and Doxycycline at a 50:50 ratio, making profits by diluting the medicine. On Ocotber 11, after receiving an order by phone for a 25-kg can of Amoxicillin made in India, Dai and Hai took out a volume of powdered lactose, weighed it, then mixed it with an equivalent volume of the genuine Amoxicillin. Hai poured the mixture through a sieve placed above an empty can. He then added about 1 kg of genuine Amoxicillin on the top of the mixture to prevent detection by buyers. Hai then glued a label on the can and sealed the lid with a special device to make it look like a can of Amoxicillin imported from India. The men ordered labels and other materials by phone, which were then delivered to their home. After contaminating the Amoxicillin, the men colored the lactose with yellow dye before mixing it into 25-kg cans of Doxycycline imported from China. On October 5, Hai delivered three cartons of the fake veterinary medicine to a man named Hoang at the Viet Sing residential area in An Phu Commune, Thuan An Town, Binh Duong Province. Fake products were sold to other customers as well, including a man named Hung in An Phu Dong Ward in District 2 and another buyer on Duong Dinh Hoi Street in District 9. With such tricks, the men could gain a profit of VND1 million to VND2.5 million per carton, depending on mixing proportions and how many buyers they attract.   This man, Dai, is preparing fake veterinary medicine (Photo: Tuoi Tre) Harmful to consumers’ health Dr Vo Thi Tra An, from the Breeding and Veterinary Medicine Department of the HCMC University of Agriculture and Forestry, said that antibiotics, which are issued to treat infections,  can only be bought with a prescription, and are not allowed to be sold and bought freely on the market. Such antibiotics are mixed into feed to prevent or treat diseases for cattle or poultry, and they are effective when used in proper doses and for correct periods of time. When faked or mixed with other ingredients, antibiotics will fail to prevent or treat diseases in animals, which directly affects the health of consumers who eat the animals.   Moreover, if fed with fake veterinary medicine containing low amounts of antibiotics, animals could build up a  resistance to antibiotics. This could create antibiotic-resistant viruses that consequentially threaten the health of humans who consume the tainted meat. This is dangerous, as it is very hard to treat patients infected with antibiotic-resistant viruses, Dr An warned. TUOITRENEWS