KUWAIT CITY, Nov 21: The Medicine Inspection Department in the Food and Medicine Control Administration at the Ministry of Health announced that it seized a number of pharmaceutical products from a perfume store in Sabah Al-Salem area, reports Al-Anba daily.

Director of the department Dr. Reem Khalaf Al-Issa said, "Despite the laws regulating the practice of the pharmaceutical profession, and the circulation and trade of medicines and medical products, many shops sell medicines and medical products illegally. The department has repeatedly monitored many violations, the most prominent of which is perhaps the sale of the ointment Dermovate, which is a pharmaceutical product that contains cortisone and is used for treating some skin diseases.

The use of cortisone compounds without a prescription is banned globally. Unfortunately, despite the harm that this cream containing cortisone can cause, and despite the prohibition of its use without a prescription, people continue to use them without medical consultation. This may expose them to harm, such as atrophy in the skin, expansion of the arteries, and skin pigmentation. Continuing to use them locally for a long time may increase the absorption of them into the body, which may expose the patient to other medical risks such as pressure, diabetes or hormonal imbalance and cracks in the skin".

During the inspection tour, an inspector from the Medicine Inspection Department Walid Hammoud explained that a big quantity of this ointment, which is used as a skin whitener for women,  was seized. It was obtained from an unknown source and without purchase invoices. Also, a sizeable quantity of the AXE branded product, which is used to help relieve symptoms of cold, was also seized along with other pharmaceutical products for cold, body and abdominal pain, as they were supplied by an unknown source and not by the local agent.

In his statement, inspector Abdulrahman Al-Shammari indicated that other medical products were also seized, including the Sudocrem used for treating skin conditions such as rashes, burns, dry skin, and Greenson paint used in the treatment of hemorrhoids, burns, acne and dry skin.

He said, “All of these products were available in the store without invoices and were supplied by unknown sources. There was no evidence to guarantee their safety and correctness of their ingredients. The sellers said they were not aware of the sources of these products but they were constantly sold to customers”.

In this regard, the Assistant Undersecretary for Medicine and Food Control Affairs Dr. Abdullah Munjid Al-Badr stated that these quantities, which were seized from places that are not licensed to deal with medicines, are bought by customers who visit these places and and use them without being aware of their risks, especially the Dermovate ointment that contains cortisone, the scientific name of which is clobetasol, and was being used without medical supervision.

He stressed the importance of increasing community awareness of the risks of pharmaceutical products of unknown origin, which are sold in places that are not licensed by the Ministry of Health and at a very low price, indicating that this may mean they are either counterfeit products or that they are of poor pharmaceutical quality and may pose a threat to the safety of patients.

Dr. Al-Badr praised the efforts exerted by the employees of the Medicine Inspection Department and the inspection teams that work hard to detect, monitor and control all violations that threaten people's health, and take legal measures because these products cause adverse reactions, drug toxicities, or serious complications to patients as it may happen.

He concluded by saying, “In addition, such products can damage the credibility of original drug and pharmaceutical products, and waste the capability of the medicines in treating diseases and health problems. This can be avoided by simply increasing the community’s awareness and vigilance for the safe use of pharmaceutical and medical products approved by the Ministry of Health”.