The Parliamentary Secretary for Heath and Aging, Catherine King, has warned the Australian public against using the internet to source medicines and therapeutic products and reminded them that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) does not regulate therapeutic products available on international websites.
“Medicines and medical devices are regulated in Australia to ensure that patients and consumers have access to safe and good quality products,” said Ms. King.
“The TGA scrutinises therapeutic products before they can legitimately enter the Australian market to protect Australians from potentially harmful or counterfeit remedies.”
In the warning, Ms. King said products purchased from international websites could be counterfeit, contain harmful quantities of active ingredients, contain undisclosed, dangerous ingredients, are past their use-by-date or be contaminated or not manufactured to appropriate standards.
…herbal and traditional remedies or dietary supplements sold over the Internet may contain undeclared chemicals, prescription drugs or their analogues…
According to a report published in February in the Australian Prescriber, some medicinal products purchased over the Internet “contain little, if any, active ingredient.” Additionally, “herbal and traditional remedies or dietary supplements sold over the Internet may contain undeclared chemicals, prescription drugs or their analogues.”
Information relating to the legal requirements and the dangers of purchasing medicines and medical devices online can be found at the TGA website: www.tga.gov.au
