FDA stops Shopee, Lazada from selling medicine online

MANILA, Philippines — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday ordered online stores Shopee Philippines and Lazada Philippines to stop selling drug products through the internet.

According to FDA, its Regulatory Enforcement Unit had already served Summons with Preventive Measure Order (SPMO) directing the two stores to “immediately cease and desist from further online selling and offering for sale drug products until they have secured the appropriate License to Operate” from the agency.

Otherwise, the FDA warned, Shopee and Lazada will face “direct or indirect contempt and/or other administrative sanctions.”

“The FDA is adamant in implementing the law in order to ensure the safety of the Filipino people and the general public as a whole,” it said, noting that the “continuous online selling of any of these drug products will place the lives of the general public in danger and at risk.”

Aside from the warning, the FDA asked the public to “exercise extreme caution and to avoid purchasing/consuming health products offered for sale online.”

Rolando Enrique Domingo, the OIC director general for FDA, explained that unlike consumer products purchased over the internet, “medicines have the potential to cause serious side effects and health problems if not used and stored properly.” 

He also stressed the importance of seeking medical advice from a doctor or pharmacist before taking medicine.