King warns against internet medicine purchases
Catherine King
posted Thursday, 1 March 2012
The Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King, today warned Australians of the hazards of using the internet to source their medicines and therapeutic products.
Ms King said that it is important that Australians understand that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) does not regulate therapeutic products available on international websites and that these products may put people at risk.
“Medicines and medical devices are regulated in Australia to ensure that patients and consumers have access to safe and good quality products.” Ms King said.
“The TGA scrutinises therapeutic products before they can legitimately enter the Australian market to protect Australians from potentially harmful or counterfeit remedies.”
The TGA advises that medicines and medical devices purchased from overseas websites have not been assessed by the independent regulator.
It is possible that products purchased in this way could be counterfeit; contain harmful quantities of active ingredients; contain undisclosed, dangerous ingredients; be past their use-by date; or be contaminated or not manufactured to appropriate standards.
Ms King urged consumers not to order therapeutics online unless they can be sure that they know the content of the product and have checked the legal requirements for importation and use in Australia.
Further 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.
Tags: Consumer Protection, Health, Internet, Medicine