Meditag III hologram introduced to beat fake products

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry introduced the newest version of the Meditag III hologram to prevent the counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products in the country in November last year.

Pharmacy Enforcement director Mohd Hatta Ahmad said the move is to ensure that pharmaceutical products, including traditional medicines and health supplements, are of high quality and safe for consumption.

"The hologram is equipped with the latest security features and is user-friendly."

The hologram was first introduced in 2005 with safety features that can be verified by consumers and enforcement officers.

It was upgraded in 2006 with enhanced security features and tools to enable easier verification by consumers.

According to Hatta, the public can check whether a medicine is a counterfeit via several methods.

He said the Meditag decoder allows users to check the authenticity of the holographic label found on the product.

"It is available at licensed pharmacies."

Another way to verify the registration number printed on the outer packaging is by going to www.bpfk.gov.my.

"Information regarding the registered product can be obtained from the website."

Any registration number that does not exist in the system may be fake, he added.

Hatta said all pharmaceutical products have to be registered with the Drug Control Authority before they can be marketed.