The illegal sale of medicines online represents an increasingly worrying danger for the health of Moroccans. During the weekly session of oral questions in the House of Advisors, the Minister of Health, Amine Tahraoui, warned against this unregulated activity which threatens the health of citizens. He also shared the legal measures put in place to combat this phenomenon.
The sale of medicines online, although booming, is causing serious concern in Morocco and around the world, particularly because of the health risks it poses. The Minister of Health and Social Protection, Amine Tahraoui, expressed his concern about this during the weekly session of oral questions in the House of Advisors, stressing that this illegal and uncontrolled activity constitutes a serious threat to the health of Moroccans.
A global health and legal challenge
According to the minister, the sale of medicines online, in various forms, is a global phenomenon which goes far beyond the borders of Morocco. These platforms, whether simple websites or more sophisticated platforms, operate illegally, thus evading any health regulations. Although precise statistics are difficult to obtain, available indicators show, according to Tahraoui, an increase in online drug purchases globally, underscoring the importance of the problem.
The government official also noted that estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that around 10% of medicines in circulation in developing countries are counterfeit, and a significant portion of these products are sold via Internet. Purchasing medicines from these untrustworthy sites exposes patients to considerable risks given.
-Legal measures to regulate the market
Purchasing medicines from unreliable structures exposes patients to serious health risks, including counterfeit, expired or substandard medicines, warned the minister, insisting that it was urgent to raise citizens’ awareness of the dangers of medicines. purchasing medicines from unreliable structures and encouraging them to turn to official channels. And Tahraoui continued that this phenomenon does not affect pharmacies, industrial or wholesale pharmaceutical establishments, public hospitals and health centers, given that they are subject to strict regulations and are subject to control of pharmacist inspectors.
And to recall that in a circular addressed to the King’s Attorneys General at the Court of Appeal, the King’s Attorney General at the Court of Cassation, President of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, El Hassan Daki, encouraged them to look into the phenomenon of the illegal sale of medicines by applying the provisions of Law No. 17.04 on the Medicines and Pharmacy Code, which prohibits the supply, offering for sale or sale to the public of medicines and parapharmaceutical products outside the framework prescribed by there law. The minister also recalled that Morocco adopted Law No. 16-16 ratifying the “Medicrime” Convention, the first international treaty which criminalizes the manufacture and marketing of counterfeit health equipment and establishes a framework allowing the establishment of national and international cooperation between health authorities, police and customs, while adopting legal measures to protect citizens.
