Health experts in Malaysia warn against buying illicit weight loss products, citing risks of contamination, side effects, and complications.
PETALING JAYA: Buying illicit weight loss products can put lives at risk, warn health experts . Former president of Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia Dr Raj Kumar Maharajah said it is illegal to sell retatrutide unless there is approval from the Health Ministry.
“A drug which is not approved by the Malaysian Health Ministry may not have been evaluated for safety, quality, dosage consistency, or side effects in Malaysia. “Many illegally imported ‘slimming injections’ or pills may be counterfeit, contaminated, improperly stored or contain undeclared substances,” he said. “Serious complications can occur, including severe vomiting, dehydration, pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, kidney injury, hypoglycaemia, thyroid-related risks, psychiatric side effects, or dangerous drug interactions.
“Injectable products purchased online may have sterility issues, increasing the risk of infection,” he said, adding that some sellers may be using false marketing. Agreeing with Dr Raj Kumar, Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia president Dr Shanmuganathan T.V. Ganeson said retatrutide has yet to be approved by health regulators, including Malaysia’s National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency .
“It is not safe – unless approved. The long-term side effects and rare adverse events are being evaluated in ongoing Phase III trials,” he said. For approved weight loss drugs, he said, they are not available for over-the-counter retail purchases and must be obtained directly through licensed clinics or medical providers as it is a prescription-only medication.
Public health expert Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said semaglutide weight loss jabs do come with risks, such as pancreatitis , gallbladder problems, severe allergy and kidney injury caused by fluid loss and in rare cases, even the possibility of thyroid cancer.
“Buying anything online at a marked reduced price or from unknown vendors – for example, an individual, a company with no health background or company that is from abroad – are all red flags,” she said.
Illicit Weight Loss Products Health Risks Malaysia Health Experts Weight Loss
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