Abu Dhabi Health monitors and warns of harmful cosmetics and nutritional supplements

The Department of Health Abu Dhabi said that it is through the Medicines Department, monitoring markets, pharmacies, general sales outlets, social networking sites, and the Internet, to limit the spread of products that are promoted for beauty, bodybuilding and slimming, indicating that after the process of analyzing products, it takes appropriate regulatory measures towards violating products.

The department indicated in special statements to “The Vision” that the measures that it takes immediately after monitoring violating products include: issuing circulars by withdrawing products from health facilities, issuing alerts to the public about the risk of using the products, or taking regulatory measures towards the health facility according to the case, or raising the matter to the authorities Competent when the product is available outside the jurisdiction of the department.

Labratory Analysis

Although the department during the current year did not record any reporting case related to any of these products in pharmacies, it did laboratory tests for 6 products of bodybuilding, slimming, and cosmetic, and the tests confirmed the evidence of fraud in one of the products used for the purpose of slimming with a chemical «Sibutramine »Prohibited, and accordingly an alert was issued to the public not to use the product in question and indicate its danger when using it.

The department noted that its drug administration is still receiving samples of products to be analyzed by the public, through the service of “analyzing samples of food supplement products and cosmetics to be sure of their quality and safety”, and also receives samples of products that have been seized from health facilities by The department’s audit team, noting that the products analyzed include cosmetics, bodybuilding products, and questionable quality and safety slimming.

Health Inspection

The department indicated that the mechanism for controlling adulterated products is carried out through the quality auditors team of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, where the health audit team has responsibilities that aim in its entirety to ensure the availability of appropriate and safe medicines for all members of society in the emirate, through inspection of pharmaceutical facilities in Abu Dhabi through operations Auditing for specific purposes, including verifying unregistered products including cosmetics, bodybuilding, and weight loss, as well as verifying any consumer complaints about any of these products.

The department indicated that when any of these products are found in a pharmacy, they are confiscated by the audit team, and sent to the competent department for further comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the product content, and if it is found that the product is not registered or contains adulterated materials, the case is submitted to the Disciplinary Committee In the Department of Health to take the necessary decisions and penalties .The chemical compound of vitamin D known as cholecalciferol.

Reports and complaints

Abu Dhabi Health Authority confirmed that the complaints and advanced communications of the department are responded to through the unified call center of the Abu Dhabi Government 800555, where the “Medicines Administration” receives the reports and includes them in the service of “analyzing the samples of food supplement products and cosmetics to be sure of their quality and safety”, and the product data is recorded And its source, whether the source is the purchase from a health facility, general sales outlets, or through social networking sites and the Internet.

The department added that it plays an important and prominent role in enhancing public awareness, through managing and publishing lists of counterfeit food supplements products warned by international and local health authorities and departments, where the list is updated with the names of products that contain hidden harmful components, and these lists include the names of: Products Fake weight loss, Fake bodybuilding products, Fake sexual enhancement products, Fake cosmetics, and a list of other fake classes.

The published lists include product data, including the product name and the image of the product packaging, and the department is also keen to provide awareness workshops targeting community members and health care providers, in order to increase awareness and avoid various health risks .

The department called on consumers to check the quality of the products before purchasing them, and make sure to buy them from the approved sales places and to ensure that all required information and data are necessary on the product label, such as the basic components, the manufacturer, the date of production and expiration and stressed the need to consult a doctor in the event of any side effects resulting Of using any of these products.