PETALING JAYA: Unregistered medication, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products sold mostly on ecommerce sites worth more than RM400,000 have been seized in Malaysia as part of an Interpol-coordinated operation.
The authorities have so far opened 12 investigation files for the project dubbed Operation Pangea.
The operation in Malaysia was coordinated by the Health Ministry’s Pharmacy Enforcement Division. Also involved were the National Central Bureau (NCB) or Interpol Malaysia, the Customs Department and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
The Health Ministry’s senior director of pharmacy services, Norhaliza A. Halim, said in a statement yesterday that a total of 1,675 websites – including social media accounts and ecommerce sites – selling pharmaceutical products were found to have breached the law.
She said 76% of these were on ecommerce platforms.
“Complaints were lodged with the MCMC against these websites, social media platforms and ecommerce sites to restrict access to them and for their content to be taken down.
“It was found through the operation this year that there was an increase in the sale of controlled medicines such as psychotropic drugs, painkillers, antibiotics and cough syrups that were sold by unqualified and unauthorised sellers,” she added.
A total of 330 delivery packages were checked, of which 58 contained unregistered pharmaceutical products and were seized.
Checks were conducted at all international entry points nationwide, such as air cargo, airports, border checkpoints and ferry terminals.
“Some 13,552 units worth RM 132,498 were confiscated at these locations,” said Norhaliza.
These comprised cosmetics (2,359 units), gastric medicines (2,243 units) and steroids (1,673 units).
“The Pharmacy Enforcement Division also found an increasing trend of painkillers and health supplements being purchased from overseas.
“This year, 1,465 units of painkillers and 1,343 health supplements were seized at international gateways and mail centres nationwide,” she said.
“Most of these pharmaceutical and cosmetics seized came from Australia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Japan and India.”
The Pharmacy Enforcement Division also conducted targeted raids on online sellers and business premises and found 45 unregistered homes, clinics and business outlets that sold pharmaceutical products.
A total of 96,691 units of pharmaceutical products worth RM417,291 that were not in compliance with the law were seized.
The raids targeted psychotropic substances, Norhaliza said, adding that the division had also seized traditional products laced with fake steroids, painkillers and cough syrups that were not registered and were being sold by unauthorised sellers who are not licensed under the Poisons Act, 1952.
She said a total of 245 public awareness campaigns were conducted by the ministry nationwide throughout the operation.
They included talks, dialogues, exhibitions and new media interactions such as via social media, official portals and messaging.
Beyond Operation Pangea, the Health Ministry is also monitoring websites and social media, carrying out enforcement activities to tackle the advertising and sale of such pharmaceutical products online.
Enforcement and awareness activities continued throughout the year to ensure all pharmaceutical, traditional and cosmetic products in Malaysia are safe for public consumption.
Operation Pangea is an international initiative aimed at combating the sale, supply and advertising of unregistered and fake pharmaceutical products sold online around the world.
The operation from Oct 3-10 resulted in 72 arrests worldwide, seizure of products worth more than US$7mil (RM32.43mil), 325 investigation files being opened and the closure of 1,300 advertising sites involved in pharmaceutical crime.
