MFDS Blocks 432 Cases of Illegal Online Medicine Sales and Advertising

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has caught a large number of violations of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act involving the illegal online sale and advertising of medicines.

The MFDS announced today (Aug. 13) that, in cooperation with the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, the Korea Pharmaceutical Traders Association, and the Korea Internet & Security Agency, it conducted online monitoring starting in January this year, identified a total of 432 violations of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, and requested the Korea Communications Standards Commission and other relevant authorities to block access to the websites.

This inspection was conducted through the "Online Clean Project for Medicines," dubbed "Clean-On," which the MFDS is promoting jointly with each organization.

Clean-On is a public-private cooperative system in which private organizations constantly monitor online illegal sales and advertising posts and report them to the MFDS, and the MFDS reviews whether they violate the law and requests relevant organizations to block access.

Among the 432 cases detected this time, 210 were identified during a two-week intensive inspection conducted from July 27 to August 7, which coincided with the summer vacation season.

Of the 210 cases detected during the intensive inspection period, 82.4% were posts on general shopping malls, which were selling Japanese medicines and other products from overseas.

By product category, digestive aids accounted for 49.0% of the detections, followed by eye drops at 34.8%.

An official from the MFDS emphasized, "Medicines sold online have unclear origins, such as manufacturing and distribution routes, making them highly likely to be counterfeit. Their safety and effectiveness cannot be guaranteed, and victims cannot receive compensation for side effects caused by administering or taking these products. Therefore, they must not be purchased."

The official added, "Medicines must always be obtained by visiting hospitals and pharmacies, following prescriptions from doctors and the guidance of pharmacists on dispensing and medication, and administered or taken in compliance with the specified dosage and administration."

(Photo: Provided by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.