Reminder for patients: Be careful when buying health products online

As a part of an international effort led by INTERPOL, Health Canada is reminding Canadian consumers to be wary when buying health products—which includes drugs, natural health products and medical devices—online. Health products sold on the internet might seem legit, but some aren’t actually authorized for sale in Canada and may be dangerous. Unauthorized health products have not been assessed by Health Canada for safety, efficacy and quality and can pose serious health risks. They might be fake, stored improperly, mislabeled, expired or subject to recalls. They might also have no active ingredients, the wrong ingredients or dangerous added ingredients that aren’t disclosed. When it comes to devices that are unlicensed, they might be low quality, don’t work or unsafe. As a part of the international Operation Pangea XVII, which aimed to bust counterfeit health products and drugs sold online, Health Canada inspected 19,193 packages from Dec. 16, 2024 to May 16, 2025. Of the inspected packages, 37% (7,096 packages) were stopped from entering the country and 3% (539 packages) were seized at the border as they contained suspected counterfeit or unauthorized health products. In total, these products were worth an estimated $378,170. The majority of the seized products were sexual enhancement medications (69%). Other products seized included herbal and dietary supplements (10%), veterinary and antiparasitic drugs (4%), hormones (2%), antibiotics (2%) and weight loss drugs (1%). What should healthcare providers tell patients? First, only buy products that are authorized by Health Canada. These will always have an eight-digital Drug Identification Number (DIN), Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM). Canadians can also check if a product is authorized by searching Health Canada’s Drug Product Database, Licensed Natural Health Products Database or Medical Devices Active Licence Listing (MDALL).Next, don’t buy products from questionable or untrustworthy websites. That means picking a safe online pharmacy. And Canadians with questions about where or not an online pharmacy is legit, they can contact the pharmacy regulatory authority, or college, in their province or territory.Canadians can stay aware by checking Health Canada’s Recalls and Safety Alerts database that issues advisories on illegal health products that have been found in Canada. This includes a list of unauthorized sexual enhancement products, skin lightening and other skin treatments, workout supplements and poppers. Finally, report any negative events or complaints involving drugs, natural health products or medical devices, including illegal products, to Health Canada to keep other Canadians safe.

Reminder for patients: Be careful when buying health products online

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