Sale of Counterfeit Healthcare Products In Online Marketplaces

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1494

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 8 NOVEMBER 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye

MP for Radin Mas

Question No. 3744

To ask the Minister for Health (a) over the past five years, how many complaints have been received regarding the sale of counterfeit healthcare products on online marketplaces; (b) what are the avenues of recourse for consumers who have been duped into buying these counterfeit products; and (c) whether any enforcement action can be taken against either the online platform or the seller for the sale of counterfeit healthcare products.

Written Answer

Over the past five years, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) received an average of about three complaints per year on the online sale of counterfeit health products. Anyone caught selling counterfeit health products online can be fined up to $100,000 and/or jailed for up to three years. Buyers of counterfeit health products can also seek recourse by lodging a complaint with the Consumer Association of Singapore or taking a civil legal action against the seller in the Small Claims Tribunals or Singapore Courts.