15 October 2004
The Direct Selling Association of Malaysia (DSAM) would like to respond to the article that appeared in The New Straits Times dated Oct 13 headlined “Authorities concerned over unregistered drugs”.
As the de facto voice of the direct selling industry, we fully support the Ministry of Health’s move to eradicate the sale of unregistered healthcare products and food supplements sold through any channels, whether through retails outlets, the Internet, direct selling companies or unscrupulous individuals.
Under the Sale of Drugs Act 1952 and Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984, all registrable healthcare, medicinal, traditional and food supplement products are required to be registered with the Ministry of Health (MOH) before being sold. And these products in turn, are sold by licenced companies, including direct selling companies licenced by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.
DSAM wishes to reassure consumers and reiterate our commitment to consumer protection. The Association imposes strict requirements on member companies that food supplements sold by them must meet and comply with the necessary regulatory requirements, including registering with the Ministry of Health’s National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau.
The members of DSAM, comprising both local and multi-national direct selling companies, adhere to a strict Code of Conduct governed by DSAM that clearly spells out the ethical practices that must be abided by. We will not hesitate to take action against member companies found to have violated the Code, including selling unregistered products.