THE Medical Device Authority (MDA) seized various unregistered and unlicensed medical devices from China worth RM300,000 at a company in the Wawasan Industrial Area, Tanjung Laboh, Batu Pahat today.

MDA Intelligence and Operations Unit head Dery Akmal Abdul Rahman said some of the medical devices seized in the 10am raid were pregnancy test kits, blood lancets (needle pricks for testing blood), medical masks and first-aid equipment, believed to have been sold in pharmacies and clinics.

“After intelligence for six months and complaints from the public, we found that these imported goods are being sold in pharmacies and also distributed to clinics across the country.

“We will monitor the pharmacies and clinics concerned to prevent unregistered medical devices from being distributed without a licence on the market,” he said after the raid.

He said MDA had issued warning letters to the company involved in 2018 and last year, but the owner of the company, a man in his 40s, was defiant to comply and continued selling his goods.

He said throughout the raid carried out by 14 MDA enforcement members, the owner of the company had cooperated and there were five employees at the outlet, but no arrests were made.

Dery said the case is being investigated under sections 5(1) and 15(1) of the Medical Devices Act (Act 737) for importing or placing medical devices in the market before being registered.

“We don’t actually know the level of risk of these unregistered medical devices because we can’t confirm the status of their efficiency, so we fear they will be detrimental to users,” he said. – Bernama, June 13, 2023.