Verify before you buy

Open Help Shop — Product Safety Checks | openhelpshop.com

What this page is

An independent consumer guide. It explains how to check a medicine, supplement or beauty product with DRAP and WHO checks.

What this page is not

It is not a shop, a pharmacy, a prescribing service, a diagnostic tool or a substitute for a pharmacist or doctor.

1 in 10medicines in low- and middle-income countries estimated by WHO to be substandard or falsified

6packaging check items in the editorial list based on WHO receipt guidance

4reporting steps for suspected side effects or quality problems

How do I check a medicine or health product with DRAP?

Start with the seller. Then check the product on the right DRAP page before you pay.

DRAP's Online Data Verification page links to several tools. They include the Registered Drugs Index, price checks, health and OTC products, and medical devices. Each tool answers a different question.

For a medicine, use the Registered Drugs Index. For a supplement or OTC item, use the health and OTC list. DRAP warns this list is for review and feedback. It is not proof that one product is valid.

For a device, use the device list. If the price looks odd, check the maximum retail price page. If you cannot match the product to any list, pause. Do not assume it is fake.

Open the DRAP Online Data Verification page and pick the right lookup.
Match the product name, maker and registration details exactly.
Check the maximum retail price if the price looks odd.
Save a screenshot of the lookup result before you pay.

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What should I check on the packaging?

A six-item check based on WHO's receipt list catches most visible problems.

WHO advises checking the packaging, the making and expiry dates, the dose, the seal and the batch numbers. These checks are easy and need no lab test.

First look at the outer box. Check for dents, tears, water damage or a resealed flap. Then compare the batch number and expiry date on the box with the inner strip, bottle or tube. If they do not match, stop.

Check the dose and strength. Check the seal is whole. Check the leaflet is there. If any item fails, do not use the product. Keep the packaging.

Packaging is clean: no dents, tears, water damage or resealed flaps.
Making and expiry dates match on inner and outer packaging.
Dose and strength match the intended product.
Security seal is whole.
Batch numbers match on inner and outer packaging.
Leaflet is there and readable.

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Check counts by stage

Editorial check counts based on WHO and DRAP actions. These are aids for readers, not regulatory limits or medical advice.
Stage	Editorial check items	What it covers
Seller identity	3	Licensed outlet, physical address, landline phone number
Official lookup	3	Registered Drugs Index, maximum retail price, health and OTC products
Packaging check	6	Condition, dates, dose, seal, batch match, leaflet
Delivery check	5	Parcel, batch, expiry, seal, product look
Problem reporting	4	Check alerts, stop use, report, consult

Editorial check counts based on WHO and DRAP actions. These are aids for readers, not regulatory limits or medical advice.

Terms used in this guide

Substandard medical product: A product that fails to meet quality standards, says WHO. It may have the wrong ingredient or dose, or fail its approved specification.
Falsified medical product: A product that deliberately misrepresents its identity, composition or source, according to WHO.
Registered Drugs Index: A DRAP lookup tool on the Online Data Verification page. It is used to check if a medicine is registered.
Maximum retail price: A registered drug price field that DRAP shares through a service on its Online Data Verification page.
Rapid alert: A DRAP notice that goods may be defective, unsafe, ineffective, spurious or falsified.
Side-effect reporting: DRAP lets consumers and patients report a suspected side effect.

Which online seller signs should stop a purchase?

WHO advises avoiding unregistered sites that hide a physical address or landline phone number.

A seller that hides a physical address or landline phone number is hard to trace. WHO names this as a warning sign for unregistered sites.

DRAP says buy from licensed pharmacies or other approved outlets. Check the goods carefully. A seller that is not a licensed outlet is a risk.

WHO also warns about spam ads for medicines, prescription-only medicines sold without a prescription, very low prices or two-for-one deals, and logos that cannot be checked. None of these alone proves a product is falsified. But each is a reason to pause and check.

No physical address or landline phone number on the site.
No match to a licensed pharmacy or approved outlet.
Price far below the DRAP maximum retail price.
Prescription-only medicines sold without a prescription.
A logo or certificate that cannot be checked.