Buying medicines online could lead to a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to NT$100 million (US$3.09 million), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
Pharmaceuticals are not like other products, and only over-the-counter drugs are allowed to be purchased online — the third of the three medicine classifications, following prescription drugs and behind-the-counter drugs, FDA Deputy Director-General Wang Te-yuan (王德原) said.
This includes products such as Green Oil and Tiger Balm, he said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
However, buying aphrodisiacs, weight loss drugs or foreign medicines online is illegal, he said.
There is not only the risk that they could be counterfeit, but it could also be considered importing drugs in contravention of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法), Wang said.
Under Article 82, those who import prohibited drugs are subject to up to 10 years in prison and a fine of no more than NT$100 million.
Illegal online retailers often use the names of legal manufacturers or pharmacies, or recommendations from well-known celebrities, to sell products, FDA Medicinal Products Division head Chung Chi (鍾綺) said.
However, as the quality, safety and efficacy of these drugs has not been certified, the user cannot apply for compensation if taking them results in adverse effects, Chung said.
The FDA is working with the Customs Administration to enhance inspections of incoming packages and monitor the Internet for illegal retailers, she said.
Regardless of whether the buyer plans to use the drugs or sell them, importing unapproved drugs is treated the same way under the law, she added.
The FDA on its Web site regularly updates a list of vendors selling pharmaceutical products illegally online, which can be found under the banner “False Food and Drug Ads” (食藥膨風廣告專區).
Approved products come with a certification number on the packaging, Taiwan Young Pharmacists’ Group executive Chang En-hao (張恩豪) said.
Chang advised caution if the number is unclear, instructions for use seem unusual or if the packaging uses simplified Chinese.
When needing medication, people should consult a doctor or pharmacist rather than buying drugs online, he said.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Passengers aboard Korean Airlines Flight KE189 arrived in Taichung safely yesterday after a scare the previous day encountering uncontrolled decompression, which injured 13 passengers. Flight KE189 departed from Incheon at 4:45pm on Saturday bound for Taichung with 125 passengers on board. The flight was above Jeju Island when a fault in the pressurization system occurred 50 minutes after takeoff. Online flight tracker Flightradar24’s data show that the plane dropped more than 8,000 meters within 15 minutes, before it returned and landed back at Incheon Airport at 19:38pm. Thirteen passengers on board had a headache or earache due to the incident and were hospitalized. A different
China might seek to isolate Taiwan and weaken its economy through a “quarantine,” which would make it difficult for the US to respond and force Taipei to negotiate on unification, CNN reported on Saturday. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) “increasingly bellicose actions” toward Taiwan have heightened concerns that Beijing would use its military against Taiwan, it said, citing a report by think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). However, China might choose to initiate a quarantine, rather than a military invasion of Taiwan, to avoid US involvement, it said. “A quarantine [is] a law enforcement-led operation to control
A new message broadcast on the Taipei MRT’s Wenhu (Brown) Line urging passengers to yield their seats to those in need, not necessarily elderly people, would be extended to other MRT lines and public transportation in the capital, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday. Chiang was responding to reporters’ questions on the sidelines of a news conference at Taipei City Hall promoting healthy walking. Several disputes over priority seats on public transportation have recently been reported, sparking debate about who qualifies to sit in them, as most of the cases involved elderly people asking young people to give up their