Be cautious when buying medicines online, consumers urged

CONSUMERS should be mindful when buying medications online or through mail-order especially during this Covid-19 pandemic as some medicines may be unsafe due to mishandling.

Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president Mohideen Abdul Kader said some medicines might become unsafe or ineffective due to exposure to extreme temperature or humidity during transit from retailer to consumer.

He said the mishandling of medications during delivery or storage could lead to various health issues.

“Antibiotics, for example, which are not stored properly can decay and cause stomach or kidney damage, while aspirin, which breaks down even in low-moisture environments, could lead to stomach ache.

“For patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes or heart disease, a damaged dose of crucial medicine, like insulin or nitroglycerin, can be life- threatening and seizure medicines and anticoagulants, if not handled or stored properly, can greatly impact one’s health,” he said.

Mohideen also urged consumers to always read the instructions on medication labels for proper storage.

“For instance, diagnostic test strips for blood sugar levels, pregnancy tests or ovulation are extremely sensitive to humidity.

“If moisture sticks to the strips, it will dilute the test liquid and possibly give a false reading,” he said, adding that many pills and capsules need to be kept away from heat, air, moisture and sunlight to avoid being damaged or losing their potency.

“If a life depends on proper dosage of a specific medication, this could have serious consequences.”

Separately, CAP education officer N.V. Subbarow said they received complaints about prices of daily goods that had increased for no reason.

“We have received complaints from people who are unable to buy baby formula that is now pricey as they face financial hardship during this pandemic.”

He also said some shops labelled items with prices higher than usual, causing the demand for goods such as meat and vegetables to be affected.

“Markets are being closed and causing financial problems to sellers as well, but they should not raise prices as they wish,” he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Semiconductor Industry Asso- ciation president Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai reminded the public that the virus was still in the community.

“The public must practise better standard operating procedures and get vaccinated as soon as possible.

“When going out to market, stalls or workplace, one must abide by social distancing and sanitise.

“If the chain of infection in the community can be broken, we will be able to come out of the pandemic sooner,” he said.

Wong added that most factories in Penang carried out rapid antigen tests twice a month for all employees in an effort to reduce contact tracing and for factories to be able to operate with 80% to 100% manpower.