Health Canada has issued a warning to consumers about purchasing unauthorized abortion and morning-after pills sold from the website “Dr. Pooja.”
On Tuesday, the health regulator issued a public advisory about the prescription drugs containing mifepristone and misoprostol (also known as the abortion pill), and the emergency contraceptives containing levonorgestrel (commonly known as the morning-after pill).
Canadians should not buy any of these unauthorized health products from “Dr. Pooja” websites, Health Canada stated, as they have not been assessed for safety, efficacy and quality and may pose a range of serious health risks.
For example, they may be ineffective, expired, mislabelled, subject to recalls, or counterfeit versions of authorized products, the regulator stated. They also may not contain active ingredients, may have wrong ingredients or may contain dangerous additives such as prescription drugs not listed on the label.
Health Canada said it has “directed the websites to stop selling unauthorized health products and is working to have the websites removed. Health Canada will take further action as necessary to protect the health and safety of people in Canada.”
If you have taken unauthorized products labelled to contain mifepristone and misoprostol, the regulator said to “seek immediate medical attention.” And if you have taken unauthorized emergency contraceptives labelled to contain levonorgestrel, you should speak to your health-care professional, Health Canada said.
“Avoid buying health products from questionable or untrustworthy websites. Be aware of the risks of buying health products online,” Health Canada stated.
Only buy prescription drugs from licensed pharmacies, Health Canada said, adding that unauthorized drugs should be returned to your local pharmacy for proper disposal.
Consumers can check whether products have been authorized for sale by searching Health Canada’s Drug Product Database and Licensed Natural Health Product Database.