50pc drugs marketed via Internet are fake

ABU DHABI — Half of the pharmaceutical products marketed via the Internet are fake and some of them are actually veterinary medicines, warned a senior health official.


“We could safely say that 50 per cent of the drug products sold on the Internet are fake. Moreover, they could cause serious health complications and might even lead to death in some cases,” cautioned Dr Mohammed Abuelkhair, Head of Drugs and Medical Products Department at the Health Authority, Abu Dhabi (HAAD).

In an interview with Khaleej Times, Dr Abuelkhair said most of the electronically marketed drug items have unknown origin.

“The medicines marketed like this usually do not have physical addresses of manufacturing companies. They usually carry vague addresses and are displayed at cheap prices,” said Dr Abuelkhair.

It has been noticed of late, some websites are carrying advertisements of pharmaceutical products, the most common of which are drugs for enhancing men’s health and potency and slimming solutions.

People must be very careful about such advertisements, especially herbal products which are often falsely claimed to be 100 per cent natural, advised the expert.

“Natural products does not mean they are completely safe or non-toxic. We should bear in mind that ingredients of some natural supplements might have negative interaction with other medications,” said Dr Abduelkhair.

Another dangerous phenomenon is the advertisements of what are actually veterinary medicines for use by human beings.

“Changes are introduced to labels of some veterinary medications claiming they are good for certain problems and advertised on the Net,” warned Dr Abuelkhair.

He called upon people to be vigilant about medical products promoted through the Internet and always verify the manufacturer’s addresses, health claims, ingredients and side effects of medications, including herbal ones.