Don’t buy from Internet pharmacies
Due to convenience and savings for money, people will start to buy products or services online including medicine. Based on my own online research, found majority of Internet pharmacies are fraudulent and likely are selling contaminated, expired or counterfeit drugs that may cause new side effects or harm the consumers.
If you are getting medicine supply or planning to buy medicine from any online pharmacies, it is very important for you to know the 3 major risks of buying from fake online pharmacies because purchase from fake online pharmacies can be dangerous, or even deadly.
Risk 1: Counterfeit drugs
The drugs delivered to you may look exactly real but it could be contaminated drugs, expired drug, no active ingredient drugs or wrong active ingredient drugs that contain toxic substances. Consuming counterfeit drugs can make your sick become worse.
Risk 2: Medicine produced by different source could be with different effect
All the drugs approved to be marketed in Malaysia have been reviewed by the Drug Control Authority (DCA) under the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984 for the assurance of safety, quality and efficacy. Drugs that approved in other countries or manufactured by unknown sources may slight variations or different ingredients that could cause new side effects or get you sicker.
Risk 3: Privacy issue
Fake online pharmacies may abuse your personal and financial information such as resell it for Internet scam or charge your credit card for products you never ordered.
How to identify fake online pharmacy
The fake online pharmacy will carry one of the following signs:
• Let’s you buy any drug without doctor’s prescription
• Do not have a physical address and contact number in Malaysia
• Drugs offered at very cheap price
• Do not have a licensed pharmacist to answer your question.
Just remember, before purchase any medicine, please ensure you have received your doctor’s prescription and is dealing with pharmacist recognized by Pharmacy Board of Malaysia (www.pharmacy.gov.my). Buying medicine is different from buying physical good, you can’t buy it due to cheaper price and it may risk you and your love one live after consumed the fake medicine.
by Terry Brown
