Risk of purchasing medications via Internet

Risks of Medicine Sold Online

Medicine sold online exposes unwary consumers to certain dangers and undesirable risks. It is really difficult for consumers to check seller legitimacy and examine the medicine to determine its registration status before making a purchase.

The risks and dangers that may be encountered are as follows:

1. Obtaining medicine which is not registered with the Ministry of Health Malaysia, therefore the safety, quality and efficacy of the medicine is unknown;
2. Obtaining falsified, substandard or counterfeit medicine which can endanger health;
3. Obtaining health products which are adulterated with controlled poisons (sildenafil, sibutramine, etc);
4. Obtaining health products contaminated with heavy metal elements (mercury, arsenic, etc) which can damage the kidney and may be life-threatening;
5. Experiencing adverse effects from medicine purchased online due to inaccurate consultation from illegitimate online seller;
6. Purchasing incorrect medicine which does not address their healthcare problems;
7. Exposed to advertisements with unproven claims or which are fabricated solely to attract the consumer’s attention;
8. Become a victim of online scam.

Please be vigilant and take appropriate measures if you plan to buy medicine online. Avoid falling victim of irresponsible sellers who want to gain easy profit from unwary consumers.

Always protect yourself and your family.

Beware! Online Sale of Medicine.