- The sale of illegal drugs generates profits of 150 million dollars a year on the black market.
- The digital pharmacies denounced for the sale of irregular medicines have sanitary failures and operate without a notice of operation.
- In addition, the list of irregular drug distributors was updated with 18 new entries.
In recent years, online commerce has increased. Now it is easier to make any type of purchase without leaving home. But although it is a practice that offers many advantages, there are also some risks. In fact, at the moment there is a strong controversy because the digital pharmacies that offer irregular medicines in Mexico.
In the first instance, one of the most serious problems that have not yet been resolved is the marketing of fake drugs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) at least one in 10 that are offered on the market are counterfeit.
The above situation is a serious crime that governments must combat because people’s health is violated. In addition, it is estimated that this illegal activity generates profits of 150 million dollars a year on the black market.
Digital pharmacies that offer irregular medicines
However, for the first time, the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) included in its list of irregular drug distributors companies that sell health supplies through internet pages, known as online pharmacies. One of the reasons is because they have sanitary irregularities and operate without a notice of operation.
- Industrial Supplies of Mexico.
- Meraki Store360.
- Medics 360.
- Stethoscopes Puebla.
- Noortropics Mexico.
- Access Pharma.
- Biomedical Supplies Gdl.
In all the cases mentioned, it is unknown how they operate in terms of the storage conditions and conservation of medical products that are distributed online, which lack the required health documentation.
The finding is the result of the constant health surveillance work that this authority carries out throughout the country and on pages, platforms and electronic sales applications. The objective is to protect the population from the risks involved in the commercialization and use of medical supplies outside the norms and established sanitary standards.
Cofepris detects seven irregular online pharmacies #CofeprisProtects You
Check what they are ???? https://t.co/LzM3FOCHU pic.twitter.com/BVgeo7U9tW
— COFEPRIS (@COFEPRIS) April 5, 2023
In addition to the seven online pharmacies, the update of the list of irregular drug distributors incorporates four that are physically located in Nuevo León, three in Mexico City, one in Aguascalientes, one in Guanajuato, one in San Luis Potosí and one in Tabasco.
Another of the serious irregularities for which these establishments entered the list is having presented apocryphal documentation to the health authority. Such is the case of Comercializadora Reyalsa. Distributors that do have an operating notice were also detected, but when carrying out the corresponding verification visits, the address was uninhabited.
Therefore, Cofepris urges buyers of medicines and other health supplies to verify that the distributors have a health officer, as well as legal documentation that guarantees the safety and quality of the medical supplies, prior to the acquisition of medical supplies. products, such as notice of operation and health license.
Also read:
During this year Cofepris has seized 59 tons of counterfeit medicines
Cofepris publishes a list of 7 counterfeit and illegal drugs: Rivotril, Buscapina and more
Official Cofepris manual to identify counterfeit medicines