Illegal Medicines Pose Risk to Consumers, Here Is How to Check Legality
Purchasing medicines through unofficial channels can harm consumers as the authenticity, safety, and quality of the products cannot be guaranteed. Illegal products may also contain dangerous substances or incorrect dosages, posing a risk of treatment failure.
Therefore, the public must ensure that medicines are obtained through official channels, such as licensed pharmacies, clinics, telehealth services, and hospitals. The legality of medicines can also be verified through the Cek BPOM website by checking the Marketing Authorisation Number (NIE) before use.
The public is also advised to use medicines strictly according to prescriptions or medical professional recommendations. This is particularly crucial for patients with non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, who require long-term treatment and continuous monitoring.
Nova Emelda, Director of Safety, Quality, and Export-Import Supervision of Medicines, Narcotics, Psychotropics, Precursors, and Addictive Substances at BPOM, stated that the public, medical personnel, and healthcare professionals need to actively report any adverse events or suspected drug side effects.
“Patient safety is a shared responsibility that must be maintained throughout the medicine’s life cycle, from ensuring product traceability and safety to monitoring safety after circulation through the implementation of pharmacovigilance,” Nova said in a statement on Monday (21/09/2026).
From the industry perspective, Novo Indonesia implements a serialisation system to help ensure product traceability before distribution. Products can be scanned via the BPOM Mobile application to verify the marketing authorisation number, batch number, and expiry date.
Once products are in circulation, Novo also collaborates with stakeholders to support the detection of illegal products on online platforms. The company maintains a pharmacovigilance team that receives and follows up on reports regarding potential drug side effects in accordance with BPOG regulations.
“If you find or suspect illegal products, the public can report them to BPOM via Halo BPOM 1500533, WhatsApp +62 811-9181-533, email halobpom@pom.go.id, as well as other BPOM complaint channels,” said Nova.