President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered police to arrest and charge with economic sabotage those engaged in manufacturing and trading of fake medicines.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said on Wednesday the order was given Tuesday night to the concerned agencies.

This was after the Food and Drugs Administration issued a warning to the public to beware of fake drugs, especially paracetamol.

"The president has ordered the Chief PNP (Philippine National Police) to arrest all persons who manufacture, import, distribute, sell, administer, and dispense fake drugs. They will be charged with economic sabotage," Panelo said in an interview.

"Because those acts undermine not only the economy because it will affect the law of supply of the demand, affect the prices, but it also threatens the security of the nation because it endangers the vast health of the people. That is why to the president’s mind, these people should be arrested and charged for economic sabotage," he added.

In a separate statement, Panelo cited a study in 2011, showing drugs and medicines account for 46 percent of the total medical out-of-pocket expenses of Philippine households; with this percentage going up to 55 percent for the marginalized sector.

Substandard and falsified medicines have become a global pandemic, impacting the safety of patients around the world. It is estimated that 10 percent of the world’s medicines are counterfeit on average, with peaks of up to 70 percent in developing countries.

Purchase and use of the fake medicines, including fake paracetamol, poses potential danger or injury to consumers. Celerina Monte/DMS