The Department of Drug Administration has asked pharmacies to stop selling unregistered food supplements, nutraceuticals and cosmetics containing pharmaceutical ingredients.

Such unapproved products could cause more adverse health impacts than benefits, the national drug regulator said.

“Drug inspectors have found unregistered dietary supplements, nutraceuticals in tablets, capsules, and liquid form, and beauty ointments containing pharmaceutical ingredients being sold from wholesale and retail pharmacies,” the department stated.

It said that sales of such products continue and warned traders of confiscating unregistered products and legal action if they ignore the warning.

Officials said that some dietary supplements and nutraceuticals prescribed by doctors and sold openly in the market are banned by the department.

It is estimated that two thirds of the doctors in Nepal prescribe more medicines than what the patients actually need. The proportions of nutraceuticals (pharmaceutical alternatives that claim physiological benefits) are several times higher than the actual medicines bought, and the patients are not being counselled on why they should take vitamin supplements.

Some doctors and dispensaries have been taking undue advantage of poor patients, forcing them to buy additional vitamin supplements. Most patients are unaware and don’t ask if the supplements are necessary. Doctors are suspected of receiving kickbacks from companies for prescribing such costly products.

Medical experts say that supplementary vitamins are needed only in specific conditions, but most doctors prescribe unnecessary drugs for their patients.

Patients across the country are often handed a long list of prescriptions for vitamin supplements, while experts around the world still debate whether such supplements are just hype or of any help at all. Some doctors also prescribe vitamins even if the cause of ailments has not been established.

Patients also say they are forced to buy vitamin supplements, which, most of the time, are more expensive than regular drugs.

A false impression has been created that doctors prescribing unnecessary nutraceuticals are more experienced and knowledgeable. When doctors prescribe those nutraceuticals, patients are forced to buy them without knowing if they are needed or not.

The Ministry of Health and Population had previously proposed setting up a new entity, the Food and Drug Administration. Such a body would not only control the quality of equipment used in the healthcare sector but also monitor the quality of nutraceutical products—functional foods that contain additives with health benefits.

Most countries have dedicated agencies responsible for ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices, among other things.

Public health experts have been advocating such an independent oversight body for a long time.

Likewise, there is no agency in the country to monitor the quality of cosmetic products sold in the market. Consumers have been using them without knowing their quality.