Woman advertises free antigen test kits with purchase of water, FDA investigates
Thailand’s FDA is planning legal action against Pimradaporn Benjawattanapat, an online seller also known as “Pimrypie”. Pimradaporn allegedly tried to give a set of antigen test kits as a gift alongside purchases of mineral water.
The FDA deputy secretary general, Dr Surachok Tangwiwat, says his office will ask the Consumer Protection Police Division to investigate Pimradaporn’s ads for mineral water that she posed on Facebook live.
The live stream reportedly showed Pimradaporn saying that anyone who purchased one of her mineral waters would also get a set of antigen test kits as a bonus gift.
Dr Surachok says the FDA watched the broadcast and determined the content may have broken the law. The doctor went on to say that selling and distributing antigen test kits are only allowed at clinics and drugstores with the supervision of pharmacists. The doctor says before such kits can be sold; the distributor needs to submit a request through the FDA to register the product. Quality checks would also still need to be performed on the kits.
Dr Surachok adds that a seller or distributor of antigen test kits that have not been correctly registered, approved by the FDA, risks a jail stint of up to 6 months and a fine of up to 50,000 baht. Or possibly both. Surachok says the antigen kits Pimradaporn was offering had not been FDA registered.
He adds that the TFDA will bring the matter up with the Consumer Police to see if Pimradaporn had broken the law, and if so, should she face further legal proceedings.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
