Saudi- Media punished for promoting illegal drugs 

(MENAFN - Arab News) Executive Vice President of the Saudi Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) Saleh Bawazeer said the Ministry of Culture and Information has taken penal measures against several media establishments for running advertisements to promote medications not approved in the country.

The ministry took action after the SFDA complained against such media establishments.

The illegal medicines are normally advertised and distributed by door-to-door salesmen.

The SFDA has been monitoring dubious activities of these medical salesmen with the help of the Customs Department at various entry points, which observe attempts to smuggle unlicensed medication. The SFDA also coordinates with the Saudi Post, which delivers parcels only after the SFDA approves the quality of medicine sent to the Kingdom by post.

The door-to-door salesmen put advertisements on media outlets about medication, which they claim to have wonderful properties such as reducing body weight or boosting sexual potency without any scientific proof or official approval.

He said SFDA inspectors monitor such ads, contact the salesmen and arrest them. He added that the marketing of imitation goods is a worldwide phenomenon that has to be brought under control by specialized departments.

"The Kingdom's entry points have an efficient monitoring system, which scans through all medicines arriving at these points," he said, adding that medicines are allowed to be imported only through 11 out of 28 entry point in the Kingdom. SFDA inspectors check all shipments for fake medicines.

He said the Kingdom's medical market is of very high quality and is free from fake medicines.

"The SFDA ensured that pharmacies in the Kingdom did not sell fake drugs and they stocked medications of the highest quality. It was convinced of this fact after checking 2,000 pharmacies across the Kingdom which were selected randomly," he said.

The SR 13 billion medicine market in the Kingdom is one of the largest in the Middle East, he said, adding that most of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world have their presence in Saudi Arabia.

He hoped that Arab and multinational pharmaceutical companies would increase their investments in the Saudi market because of the profitability of the market, which in turn will ensure the availability of quality medicine.