"Don`t buy (drugs and cosmetics) online. It`s very dangerous. Buy them in legal places," Head of Drugs and Food Monitoring Agency (BPOM) Roy Sparingga said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Head of Drugs and Food Monitoring Agency (BPOM) Roy Sparingga cautioned the society to be wary of the dangers of illegal drugs and cosmetic products being sold online or on websites on the internet.

On Wednesday, Roy Sparingga pointed out that the drugs and cosmetic products sold online may not have the relevant permit issued by the BPOM and pose a high risk to the consumers.

"Dont buy (drugs and cosmetics) online. Its very dangerous. Buy them in legal places," Roy Sparingga emphasized.

Counterfeit drugs often contain dubious and harmful substances, which can even lead to death in extreme cases.

The illegal drugs and cosmetics are similar in appearance to the original ones, but are comparatively less expensive and may cause several negative effects on the health of its users if used or consumed on a long-term basis.

They may only contain flour, placebo, or sub-standard substances, despite the low manufacturing sanitation procedure, Sparingga noted.

The BPOM cooperated with the Interpol during the Pangea Operation on June 18-25 2013, wherein they managed to seize illegal and counterfeit drugs valued at Rp5.6 billion or about US$466 thousand from the 20 outlets that were raided. Legal action has taken against 14 of the 20 outlets.

The agency also managed to shut down 129 online shops selling illegal drugs and cosmetics.

Sparingga claimed that the rampant online sales of illegal drugs and cosmetic products were largely due to high demand from the society that opts for less expensive drugs or cosmetics.

The drugs managed to gain entry into Indonesia due to negligence in supervision at the nations entry points.

"They may be concealed and carried in luggage through airports, small harbors, and border gates," Sparingga claimed.

The smugglers may have also used forged permits and documents while smuggling the illegal drugs and cosmetics into the country as cargo.

Besides being imported, illegal drugs are also manufactured in some areas in Indonesia such as Medan, Aceh, Jambi, Bandung, and Jakarta, Sparingga noted.

Head of Anti Counterfeit Indonesian Society (MIAP) Widyaretna Buenastuti advised that the people should buy drugs and cosmetics from legal drug stores in order to prevent any unwanted risk or side-effect.

"If we buy them from the pharmacy, our rights as consumers are protected," Buenastuti stated.

However, if consumers find any flaw or difference in the packaging of the drugs then they can seek information from the pharmacist or call the hotline number usually printed on the package to ensure that the medicine is legal, she noted.

"The people can inquire which companies are producing and distributing the drugs or cosmetics," Buenastuti added.

Based on the Victory Project research encompassing four areas, such as Greater Jakarta, Bandung, Malang-Surabaya, and Medan, using Sildenafil as its sample, revealed that 45 percent of the 518 tablets bought from 157 outlets were counterfeit.

Therefore, the rampant illegal drugs and cosmetics trade has driven the MIAP to conduct a Public Service Announcement Competition 2014 on the dangers of counterfeit drugs and cosmetics.

The competition is supported by the Minister of Health, Minister of Trade, Drugs and Food Monitoring Agency, and the United States of America Embassy to Indonesia.

The competition with total prize money of Rp40 million is open to participants in the age group of 18-25 years.

The submissions should reach by April 1st, while the winners will be announced on April 30th.

The terms and conditions of the PSA Competition 2014 can be accessed through MIAPs Twitter account @MiapAsli.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2014