Nearly 250 packages of medications that were investigated when they crossed the country's borders, have prompted Medsafe to warn about the dangers of ordering medicine online.
Prescription medicines purchased on the internet were risky because quality, safety and effectiveness could not be guaranteed, Medsafe manager compliance management Derek Fitzgerald said.
Prescription medicines were potent substances and as such should only be used following a consultation with a doctor, he said.
New Zealand has recently been involved in a week-long Interpol-led operation, Operation Pangea VII, which was aimed at detecting the international illegal trade in medicines.
As a result of the operation, 248 packages were held requiring further investigation, 50 less than the number investigated last year, Mr Fitzgerald said. These parcels originated from 32 different countries around the world and were stopped because they contained prescription medicines, weren't labelled or were known to contain undeclared or hidden ingredients.
