Materia Medica Malaysiana

Getting tough with sellers of illegal health products

PETALING JAYA, Nov 4: There will be no more mercy for those selling illegal health and herbal products — the Health Ministry will prosecute offenders and ask for custodial sentences.

Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng said today they would be charged under the Sales of Drugs Act and were liable to be fined RM25,000 or three years' jail or both for the first offence, and RM50,000 or five years' jail or both for subsequent offences.

"We will appeal to the judiciary to impose jail sentences as a deterrent," he said after presenting diplomas and certificates to 168 nurses at the Tun Tan Cheng Lock College of Nursing, Assunta Hospital, here.

He said the ministry's pharmaceutical division had been directed to prosecute those caught advertising, distributing and selling illegal health products, including herbal ones.

"We will not compromise or show mercy as we have issued sufficient warnings over the years," he said, adding that the ministry had to resort to such measures as the market had been flooded with products that were not registered with the Drugs Control Division.

He said there were cases of people admitted to hospitals in critical condition after consuming illegal health products.

"We have also come across people who suffered damage to organs." The increasing number of Malaysians coming down with renal failure, Chua said, could also be due to consumption of products that were not approved by the ministry.

"We do not know the contents in these products. If there are steroids, then they can damage the kidneys in the long run," he said, adding the public must ensure that products sold in the market were approved by the division.

The ministry will soon include the names and brands of approved products on its website.

Chua said the pharmaceutical division had been directed to submit a report on its enforcement operations.

He said he also knew of enforcement officers who took bribes from those selling illegal health products.

The ministry would not hesitate to bring corruption charges against them.

Yesterday, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry had asked direct-selling companies dealing with herbal or health products to get certification from the Health Ministry before selling them.

Deputy Minister Datuk S. Subramaniam said the Health Ministry's endorsement was vital if the products constituted food supplements.