Fake Panadol Pills Are Being Sold in M’sia; Here’s How To Spot Them

Singaporeans often travel to Malaysia to buy things at a cheaper price, like diapers, contact lens and… Panadol?

In case you’ve never had a headache in your life and are unacquainted with these magic pills, Panadol is a brand name for paracetamol pills that relieve pain.

You won’t need a doctor’s prescription to get your hands on these and it’s available at most convenience stores and pharmacies. This means that it can be found anywhere.

But beware, because fake Panadol pills are being sold in Malaysia:

Fake Panadol Pills In Malaysia

Yes and in case you are wondering why this is bad, that’s because fake pills = fake ingredients = possible side effects = possible DEATH.

Do I have your attention now? Okay, then let’s learn how we can identify these fake pills so we can protect ourselves from accidentally ingesting them:

How To Identify Fake Panadol Pills 

A man named Tan took to Facebook to do a visual comparison of the fake vs real pills and here are the discrepancies that he found:

Check The MAL Number Online

For starters, flip the Panadol, look at the back and find the “MAL” number.

You can then find out if this is an authentic batch of Panadol by verifying the MAL number online at Malaysia’s pharmaceutical regulatory agency.

Typos Of Pharmaceutical Company Name On Packaging 

Tan also found that the fake Panadol had the pharmaceutical company’s name misspelt.

Correct spelling: GlaxoSmithKline

Typo on the fake Panadol: ClaxoSmithKline

Though, do note that the fake ones had the correct GlaxoSmithKline logo.

Rough Edges On Pills

Tan also noted that the fake pills had “rough edges” and broken pieces.

Yikes, now we have to be extra vigilant and triple check our paracetamol even while we’re running a fever or have a crippling headache.

Netizen Feels The Government Should Take Action

While these tips are invaluable and will help the public in identifying the fake pills, one netizen felt that this job should be the responsibility of the government.

Translation: The Government should take action to catch people selling fake drugs, and effective control of drugs.

But when all that is said and done, we still have the primary responsibility of taking care of ourselves.

After all, better to be safe than sorry right? Or better yet, how about not stocking up our medicine cabinet with Panadol from Malaysia for the time being?