KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry through the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) has never approved any herbal product said to be able to prevent or cure dengue fever, Zika or Chikungunya infection.
Health director-general, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a statement yesterday said the ministry had received complaints about such herbal products that were advertised on social media.
He stressed that all advertisements of products registered with the NPNA needed approval from the Medicine Advertisement Board under the Ministry of Health before being published for public consumption.
“Legal action can be taken under the Medicine (Advertisement and Sale) Act 1956 against medicine advertisements published without approval from the board. If found guilty, the offending individuals or companies can be fined not exceeding RM3,000 or face a jail term of up to a year, or both,” he said.
Besides taking prevention measures against dengue caused by Aedes mosquitoes, the ministry also advised the public to immediately seek treatment if they have symptoms such as fever, headache, joint pains, rashes, nausea and vomiting or early warning symptoms like a spate of vomiting, stomach ache or lethargy.
Any information on dubious medicinal products can be channelled to the NPRA via https://www.npra.gov.my/index.php/public-enquiry-complaints/contactusby calling 03-7883 5400 or by emailing to npra@npra.gov.my.
– Bernama
