Ministry of Health warns against fake drug

Iman Abdullah Al Ali, Staff Reporter

The Ministry of Health and Prevention warned against a counterfeit medical product used to treat muscle disorders, saying that its use might result in health problems and risks.

In a circular distributed among all health facilities and healthcare practitioners, the Ministry explained that the counterfeit medical product “DYSPORT,” circulating in the World Health Organisation region, is used to treat cases resulting from muscle disorder, as it is used to treat symptoms of cervical dystonia, wrinkle lines and spasticity. 

The ministry stated that the warning is based on a notification by the World Health Organisation about the product, as its data, such as batch numbers and manufacturing expiry dates, were proved to be fake, in addition to errors in printing on product boxes and contradictions in the types of bottles.

The Ministry stressed on not using counterfeit batches of the product, definitely batch No U01975, expiring in July 2024, batch No U12523, expiring in April 2023, batch No U14534, expiring in March 2023, and batch No U05804, expiring in December 2022.

“Medical products must be purchased at licensed and registered pharmacies in the UAE, and the physical condition of the product must be carefully examined. In case of suspicion, the advice of a healthcare professional is recommended,” the Ministry indicated.

Meanwhile, Ministry of health and Prevention has announced it will organise the First Scientific Conference on health and Medical Research in the UAE on Dech.5 and 6, 2022, to develop national capacities in health and medical research, create a suitable framework for scientific research and promote the skills and competencies of national cadres, WAM reported.

All academics and researchers working for academic institutions, and public and private healthcare providers in the UAE are invited to the conference and to submit their research papers on various medical subjects. The ministry said that researchers should focus on proposed topics and themes that include cancer innovative therapies, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity, genetics, infectious diseases, neurosciences and mental health, women and child health, environmental diseases, and artificial intelligence in healthcare.