High risk when you buy health products online: CASE
SINGAPORE – Consumers who choose to buy health products online are taking a high risk with their health and they may find it difficult to seek redress if they fall ill after taking such products, said the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).
CASE’s comments come as the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) issued an alert on Wednesday (Dec 10) regarding two illegal weight loss products sold online. Four people have been asked to assist in investigations so far, added HSA.
Two people fell ill after taking Nutri Drops Grapefruit Diet and Nutrex Research Adipodex, two illegal weight loss products, which were purchased online.
A man in his 20s who suffered an acute kidney failure has since been discharged from hospital, while another 15-year-old girl, who wants to be known as “Amy”, suffered hallucinations and is recovering well at home.
HARD TO SEEK REDRESS FOR PATIENTS AFFECTED
HSA said it is working with relevant administrators to remove online posts related to the sale of the two products. However, observers said consumers like “Amy” will find it hard to seek redress.
Said executive director of CASE, Mr Seah Seng Choon: “These people can come from various places, they can come from India, China or some other places which are not known to the consumers. If they are selling banned substances, it will be hard for the authorities to go after them because they are not within Singapore’s jurisdiction.
“If it is an overseas company, an overseas website, we will have difficulty locating where the person is from. You will have problems even suing for compensation, so seeking redress will be tremendously difficult.
“Authorities have put in place in their website all the banned products that they have come across, I would advise consumers to do a check on that list even before they purchase any product on the Internet.”
Meanwhile, HSA said illegal products are often produced under poor manufacturing conditions with no quality control and their contents can also vary from batch to batch. Experts said it is best to purchase products from local pharmacies and licensed vendors.
“In Singapore, the Ministry of Health, HSA and AVA (Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority) – these are bodies which look after Singaporeans by making sure that anything that reaches our shores would have satisfied some minimum standards,” said Dr Warren Lee, a senior consultant paediatrician at Dr Warren Lee’s Paediatrics, Growth and Diabetes Centre.
“In fact, among my patients, many would travel to Singapore to get medical care and medications from here because it is known that our national authorities are very tight about what they let in and what they licensed. Thus, when you buy on the Internet, you lose all these protections,” added Dr Lee.
HSA said that between 2011 and 2013, 104 people were caught for selling health products illegally online. They included students and professionals.
Source: Channel NewsAsia
Published: 11 Dec 2014
Category: Features, Health alert
