Just days after ordering one importer to suspend sales of a drug and another to withdraw a drug from the market, Vietnamese officials now seek samples of the GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) pediatric antibiotic Augmentin for precautionary testing. The Drug Administration of Vietnam has asked GSK to collect samples for testing following discovery of a plasticizer in Augmentin products distributed in Hong Kong.
Testing will focus on the levels of diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP), di-ethylhexyl phthalates, and other derivatives. In Hong Kong, officials said they detected DIDP in Augmentin tablets at a level twice as high as Europe's limit for the chemical in food contact materials.
Last month, plasticizer detected in a pediatric antibiotic manufactured by GSK in France led to a government-ordered recall by the drug giant.
The Vietnamese product test results are expected by August 5, 2011.