People suffering from Covid-19 have been warned about fake medicines and other products being sold online which falsely claim to treat or prevent the illness.

East Anglian Daily Times: Medicines should always be bought from a registered pharmacy, the government says. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWNMedicines should always be bought from a registered pharmacy, the government says. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN (Image: Archant)

Suffolk County Council’s daily coronavirus briefing warned people of products being promoted as “miracle cures”, which are in fact unauthorised and against the law.

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Lynda Scammell, senior enforcement advisor at the government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said other items promoted included “divine cleansing oils”, “antiviral misting sprays”, herbal remedies, vitamins and unlicensed anti-viral medicines.

“We want to caution people that products claiming to do so are not authorised and have not undergone regulatory approvals required for sale on the UK market,” she said.

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“We cannot guarantee the safety or quality of these products and this poses a risk to your health.

“Don’t be fooled by online offers for medical products to help prevent or treat Covid-19.

“One of the risks of buying medicines and medical devices from unregulated sources is that you just don’t know what you will receive.

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“You could be risking your health, and this could further spread the virus and increase pressure on our NHS and social care systems.

“We are working alongside other law enforcement agencies to combat this type of criminal activity.”

Scientists are currently working on trying to produce a vaccine for coronavirus, but it has been warned that this is a long way off.

The MHRA advises that people buy medicines from a registered pharmacy, either from the premises or online.

Those who suspect they have a dodgy medicine or medical device can report it via the MHRA’s Yellow Card safety monitoring system.