Falsified healthcare products
At MHRA we take our responsibility to protect public health seriously. Medicines for human use and medical devices are subject to strict legal controls and there are systems in place to prevent falsified and unauthorised medicines, and non-compliant devices infiltrating UK supply chains.
Buying on the Internet can be risky, many websites are not operating legally and the medicines offered may not be authorised UK products. This means that there is no guarantee that they meet standards of quality, safety and effectiveness that are required in UK. Sometimes these sites display and offer to supply licensed products but it is unlikely that these are the products you will receive. Always check that you are purchasing from a legitimate source.
Yellow Card reports which indicate a medicine may be falsified or unauthorised are investigated in full and action is taken where products are found to be non-compliant. Our initial response would be removing the product from sale but further action against individuals and organisations involved may be instigated. A range of measures are available. Civil injunctions are an option but offences under medicines and medical devices laws in UK are criminal and the MHRA can, and do, bring prosecutions through the court system where appropriate.