The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Department of Health (DOH) over PHP 693 million worth of expired and expiring medicines in its inventory, according to a 2025 audit report. As of December 31, 2025, PHP 217 million of these medicines had already expired, while PHP 476.5 million were nearing their expiration dates.
In its Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM), COA noted that the expired medicines included antibiotics, vaccines, and other essential drugs stored in DOH warehouses and regional offices. The audit body recommended that the DOH improve its inventory management and disposal processes to prevent further waste of public funds.
The DOH responded by stating that it has implemented measures to address the issue, including the redistribution of near-expiry medicines to other facilities and the acceleration of procurement procedures. However, COA emphasized the need for stricter monitoring to avoid similar lapses in the future.
This is not the first time the DOH has faced audit findings over medicine expiration. In previous years, COA had also flagged similar issues, raising concerns about the efficiency of the department's supply chain management.
