Police seize fake cough medicine and medical equipment worth R1.5 million in North Riding
The real ingredients of fake medicines are seldom known and could easily do more harm than good, police say.
Police swooped on an illegal medication manufacturing plant in North Riding recently, confiscating equipment and stock to the value of R1.5 million.
Honeydew police media liaison officer Warrant Officer Dave Stanton said one arrest had been made following the bust by the police’s infrastructure task team, and a case of contravention of the Medicines Act had been opened.
“Situated in an upmarket business park, the plant had been manufacturing fake bottles of cough mixture on an industrial scale,” Stanton said.
“The confiscated bottles of cough mixture appeared to be professionally made and convincing of their authenticity. Accredited fully licensed pharmacies should only be visited, and attempt to ensure that medications you purchase are either prescribed or suggested to you by a medical practitioner.”
Stanton added, unfortunately, lower-income communities were more susceptible to a prevalence of informal health and medication stores, where counterfeit medications were likely to be sold.
“Purchasers of such counterfeit medications seldom know the real ingredients and the usage thereof could easily cause more harm than good.”
According to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority website as per section 2B (1) of the Medicines Act, the authority oversees general regulations which ‘include the arrangement of regulations for supply of medicines, registration of medicines, permits, licensing and authorisation, management of medicines, the Authority, appeals, investigations, offences, and penalties.”
To contact the authority as a whistleblower relating to medicines and medical devices, the details of such a tip-off with photos and documents attached, can be submitted here.
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