Deputy Health Minister Cao Minh Quang

BV Pharma said that some newspapers published inaccurate information about its operation. After that, eight companies denounced BV Pharma for producing habit-forming medicines. In the petition, BV Pharma claimed the briefings to the press had been deliberately organised by Deputy Health Minister Cao Minh Quang.

“We were very surprised to discover that Mr. Quang was responsible for providing such inaccurate information to two newspapers,” the company complained.

The petition claims, “Mr. Quang also instructed the eight companies to sign a document to denounce BV Pharma. Some of the firms involved contacted us and informed us they had been pressured by Quang.”

The companies received Quang’s permission to buy materials to produce Tamiflu, which led to losses of VND281 billion (USD13.4 million) to the State.

BV Pharma also added that the Deputy Minister had provided leaders of Ho Chi Minh City with inaccurate information, including that the company sold pseudoephedrine and had also used corn powder to make fake medicines.

BV Pharma asked that all pharmaceutical firms using pseudoephedrine should be investigated from production through to distribution stages, to replicate the inspections it had to endure. It also recommended that stricter regulations on the management of pharmaceuticals be carried out. The claims will be inspected by the Government Inspectorate.

The Ministry of Education and Training recently concluded that Deputy Health Minister Cao Minh Quang had falsely claimed to hold a doctoral degree.

Based on documents from the Swedish National Agency for Education and feedback from Uppsala University, the ministry said Mr. Quang’s Licentiatexamen or Licentiate in English was an Intermediate Degree, which although higher than a Masters or Pre-doctoral Degree, but could not be claimed to be a doctorate.