The illicit trade in medicines is growing in South Africa, with weight-loss products, performance enhancers, codeine-based painkillers and skin-lightening products among those being targeted.<\/p>\n
According to Mokgadi Fafudi, the Head of Regulatory Compliance at the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), illicit products are increasingly being sold through social media, gyms, beauty outlets and other informal channels.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“People see things on social media, and they become gullible to those, and people are selling wrong information.<\/p>\n
“… when you’re speaking about lifestyle, people want to appeal to look similar to certain people, certain figures.<\/p>\n
“…we see people, the influencers, for example, contributing immensely to this.”<\/p>\n
ALSO READ: SAHPRA spotlights fake medication sold in spaza shops, salons & social media<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Fafudi stressed that consumers should obtain medicines and injectable products only from authorised healthcare professionals and pharmacies.<\/p>\n She warned that products claiming to alter body shape, promote weight loss or enhance performance can pose serious health risks if they have not been evaluated and approved.<\/p>\n “This is about health. Then a person is gambling with their own health.”<\/p>\n ALSO READ: SAHPRA warns of harsh legal repercussions for distributors of unauthorised medicines<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Fafudi added that SAHPRA is working with law enforcement, the South African Pharmacy Council, government departments and digital platforms to tackle illegal suppliers, while also launching its largest public awareness campaign.<\/p>\n Consumers who suspect they have bought an illicit product are urged to report it to the regulator through its website <\/a><\/strong>or whistleblower channels.<\/p>\n “The moment you identify a facility which is online and is selling medicines, report it; we will investigate it. Digital platforms are also very complex, and e-commerce, because some of these are not even hosted in our country. So, we also have to work with the digital communications department to help us pull some of these down. But it is up to the people to be very, very careful when it comes to their health.”<\/p>\n