The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday arrested 12 people for selling herbal supplements and making fraudulent claims that their products could cure serious illnesses such as cervical cancer and heart disease.
FDA's secretary-general Dr Pipat Yingseri said his agency had teamed up with the Consumer Protection Police Division to survey and monitor health products that could put consumers at risk. So far, FDA has found that more than 200 types of herbal supplements worth Bt2.2 million were being illegally sold in Bangkok's Ta Tian market.
Most products were being sold under false claims of being cures for eye disease, cervical and breast cancer, as well as paralysis and heart disease, not to mention keeping users looking youthful. Some of these products have not been legally registered with the FDA and do not carry the label.
The products currently under scrutiny are eye-drops said to cure eye disease; a capsule said to fight age; an inhalant that allegedly helps make the heart and brain stronger as well as curing heart disease and diabetes; and Moringa oil that apparently cures joint aches and pains.
Pipat said people who violated the law by selling spurious products without permission or registering with the FDA would face three years in jail and be fined Bt5,000. Those who sell cosmetics without an FDA label on their products will also face a three-year jail term and be fined Bt20,000.
He warned manufacturers to have their products registered with the FDA and not make false claims about their supplements being cures. He also advised consumers to beware of fraudulent advertisements.