Bangkok: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched an e-market initiative aimed at expanding opportunities for health products, elevating safety standards, and generating sustainable income for local communities. The Ministry of Public Health, through the FDA, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with prominent e-marketplace platforms in Thailand, including LAZADA, Shopee, LINE MAN, and GRAB. This partnership, under the “FDA Connect Marketplace” campaign, seeks to enhance consumer safety in online shopping and broaden the marketing channels for Thai community health products to reach both national and international e-commerce markets.
According to Thai News Agency, the event took place at the OSSC Building, where Mr. Pattana Promphat, Minister of Public Health, presided over the ceremony. He emphasized the campaign’s focus on two main areas: preventing the advertising and illegal sale of unauthorized health products on digital platforms, and promoting the health economy by expanding marketing opportunities for community health products made by Thais. This initiative aims to protect consumers by leveraging technology to address legal violations and create a secure online shopping environment. It also promotes the global reach of Thai community health products under the “From Local to Global” concept.
Dr. Somrerk Chungsaman, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, highlighted the significance of the “FDA Connect Marketplace” event. He noted that this collaboration between the Ministry and e-marketplaces such as LAZADA, Shopee, LINE MAN, and GRAB represents a crucial step in enhancing consumer protection mechanisms in the digital age. The partnership aims to establish a system to prevent and reduce the advertising of illegal health products online, ensuring that those sold are legally licensed and reliable. Additionally, it provides Thai entrepreneurs with fast and convenient distribution channels to reach a wider audience, contributing to the country’s economic stability and sustainability.
Pharmacist Suphattra Bunserm, Secretary-General of the FDA, elaborated on the initiative’s details. Besides expanding distribution channels for community health products, the FDA has developed a website compiling nationwide product information, complete with a system to forward this data to e-marketplaces. The collaboration also includes creating a system for receiving and sharing health product approval information via an Application Programming Interface (API). This system will help prevent unauthorized product sales, maintain a blacklist of illegal products, and utilize artificial intelligence to detect and block the sale of illegal products and advertising, fulfilling the cooperation’s objectives.