FDA warns public against buying medicines, vaccines online
MANILA, Philippines — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public against buying vaccines and prescription medicines over the Internet, saying the government prohibits any advertisement of such kind of drugs in any form of mass media.
In an advisory posted on its website, the FDA has taken the operator of the popular buy-and-sell website www.sulit.com.ph to task after it discovered the illegal advertisement of at least 166 medicines, which are mostly prescription vaccines and other biological products for humans and pet animals.
The website operator agreed to take down the advertisements on November 27, 2013, the FDA said.
Among the government regulations that the advertisers and website operation were found violating were the Bureau Circular No. 02 of 1999, which prohibits food or dietary supplements to be advertised with curative or therapeutic claims and the Department of Health Administrative Order No. 65 of 1989, which prohibits vaccines and other prescription medicines to be advertised in any form of mass media, including the Internet.
FDA director Kenneth Hartigan-Go said the sulit.com.ph owner and administrator collaborated with the FDA in removing all advertised health products “with unproven safety and efficacy in their website.”
“They actually helped the consumers avoid wasting their money and avert serious illness or even fatal injuries,” the FDA said.
On December 16, 2013, however, the FDA still monitored the vaccines being advertised or sold online by sulit.com.ph, including meningococcal vaccines, a five-in-one vaccine, vaccines against cervical cancer and pneumonia, and a Christmas promotion of the pneumococcal vaccine.
The FDA noted that buying prescription and over-the-counter drugs from the buy-and-sell website like sulit.com.ph would be “risky” since the advertisers might be bogus.
“Though the link or site may look professional and legitimate with matching pictures to boot, it could actually be an illegal operation or a scam,” Hartigan-Go said.
FDA described the signs that could indicate fraud and health scam. First, the advertisers offer to sell prescription drugs even without a prescription from the doctors , which is against the Pharmacy Law (RA 5921) and the Food Drugs and Devices and Cosmetic Act or the RA 3720. Second, the advertisers do not provide a reliable telephone number for consumers. Third, the advertisers offer prices that are less than the prevailing price in the market. Fourth, the advertisers post prescription products that require special handling or storage condition.
The FDA noted that it has received only one application for a license to operate an online pharmacy, which has remained to be under serious evaluation and consideration.
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