KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry (MOH), through its Pharmacy Enforcement Division, will take action against a seller of the Energy Stick stimulant for selling unregistered drug control items.
Director-general of health Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said preliminary investigations were conducted following public complaints, and the Energy Stick stimulant was found to be widely sold on e-commerce platforms.
"Preliminary investigations revealed that the product is not registered with the Drug Control Authority (DCA) as stipulated by the provisions of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
"Monitoring and enforcement actions will be taken against sellers of the product. Through initial screening on e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada, the MOH has also identified advertising and sales of the product by local and foreign sellers.
"The MOH, through the Pharmacy Enforcement Division, will take enforcement actions to ensure the advertisements for the product are taken down," he said in a statement.
Previously, it was reported that the new product was being sold with the tagline "Sedut dulu, baru pergi sekolah" (Snort first before going to school), which was actively targeting minors.
Dr Radzi said the sale of unregistered health products is a violation of Regulation 7(1)(a), the Dangerous Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984.
"Individuals found guilty may face a fine not exceeding RM25,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years, or both for the first offence.
"For subsequent offences, the penalty may be a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both.
"Companies committing the same offence may be fined up to RM50,000 for the first offence and up to RM 100,000 for subsequent offences."
He called on the public to look for the hologram sticker and Product Registration Number (MAL) before purchasing any health product.
"Product registration status can be checked at www.npra.gov.my under the "Product Status" section or by contacting the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) call centre at 1-800-88-6722.
"Additionally, the public can download the NPRA Product Status application from the Google Play Store for verification purposes," he said.
The public is encouraged to submit complaints and provide information about the sale of unregistered products at www.pharmacy.gov.my or via the Public Agencies Complaint Management System (SisPAA) portal at https://moh.spab.gov.my, nearby Pharmacy Enforcement office or their hotline 03-78413200.