OSINT: A Weapon Against Counterfeit Medicines in Malaysia

How open-source intelligence helps authorities and pharmaceutical brand owners detect the distribution of unregistered and counterfeit medicines in Malaysia’s digital marketplace.

The circulation of counterfeit and unregistered medicines in Malaysia continues to grow alongside the expansion of e-commerce and social media. According to the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), the value of seizures involving illegal medicines, cosmetics, and raw materials reached RM37.5 million in 2024, up from RM24.8 million in 2023, involving 21,571 illegal products. MOH also blocked and took down more than 15,000 online links selling illegal medicines during the same period.

These figures point to a clear reality: counterfeit medicine sellers are no longer limited to physical black markets. They now operate extensively through marketplaces, social media, and live streaming, often anonymously and across borders — making conventional monitoring methods increasingly insufficient.

The Legal Framework in Malaysia

The distribution of medicines in Malaysia is regulated by several key laws and regulatory bodies:

• Poisons Act 1952 — regulates the import, possession, manufacture, storage, transportation, sale, and use of poisons and controlled medicines.
• Sale of Drugs Act 1952 — often used alongside the Poisons Act 1952 in enforcement actions against unregistered healthcare products.
• National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), under MOH, is responsible for registering legitimate medicinal products with a MAL registration number and the Farmatag® hologram security label. Consumers can verify the registration status of products through NPRA’s public QUEST3+ database.

A national cross-sectional study published in Pharmacy Practice in 2025 found that Malaysia’s regulatory framework — including mandatory registration and hologram systems — has helped maintain a relatively low prevalence of unregistered and counterfeit medicines compared with some neighbouring countries. However, online sales remain a major vulnerability because they are more difficult to monitor than physical distribution networks.

Using OSINT to to Detect Counterfeit Medicines

This is where Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) comes in. This intelligence method can explore various sources of information, including web niches, social media posts, digital advertisements, cookies, and even search history to obtain accurate information about individuals or entities associated with the circulation of counterfeit drugs.

Among the various OSINT methods that can be used for monitoring, there are two methods that are most often used to investigate information about counterfeit drugs and other commodities that are traded online—marketplace and social media monitoring.

(a) Marketplace monitoring

Marketplace monitoring allows authorities and brand owners to identify the sources, pricing, and distribution networks behind illegal products sold online through platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.

For example, MOH has reported engaging with e-commerce platforms to remove advertisements for illegal medicines, while also issuing compounds worth RM120 million for offences involving unregistered medicines during the latest reporting period. The Deputy Minister of Health has also advised the public not to use platforms such as TikTok Live to sell or promote medicines, particularly high-risk weight-loss and beauty products that may contain prohibited substances.

The main challenge is the constantly growing number of marketplaces and online stores, making manual monitoring by authorities alone insufficient. This is where collaboration between multiple stakeholders — enforcement agencies, pharmaceutical regulatory authorities, legitimate pharmaceutical brand owners, and third-party providers that specialise in monitoring products in the market through methods such as market surveys — becomes increasingly important.

(b) Social media monitoring

The second approach is social media monitoring — tracking and analysing conversations, posts, and user behaviour across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram to identify potential cases involving counterfeit medicines.

By monitoring hashtags, keywords, and specific accounts, authorities can identify suspicious activity, including closed social media groups used to illegally buy and sell controlled medicines. Prices significantly below the prevailing market rate can also serve as an early indicator that a product may be counterfeit or unregistered.

One real-world example of this type of monitoring is Operation LHT in Pahang, which involved collaboration between the Pahang Pharmacy Enforcement Branch (CPF), the MOH Pharmacy Enforcement Headquarters, Selangor CPF, Federal Territory CPF, and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). The operation resulted in the seizure of 116 types of unregistered medicines and 49 non-notified cosmetics sold online, with a total value of nearly RM1 million, following continuous monitoring and intelligence gathering.

In Alor Setar, enforcement action based on monitoring and intelligence gathering also led to the seizure of RM13.4 million worth of unregistered products from 11 premises. This demonstrates how proactive intelligence, rather than relying solely on public complaints, is increasingly becoming an important enforcement approach in Malaysia.

Why the Need for OSINT Expertise is Becoming More Critical

The scale of the counterfeit medicine problem in Malaysia — from seizures worth tens of millions of ringgit to thousands of online sales links — demonstrates that passive monitoring alone is no longer sufficient. An active, continuous approach supported by technical expertise is needed to track illicit activity that constantly evolves alongside new platforms and tactics.

However, OSINT is a specialised intelligence discipline that requires expertise in areas ranging from open-source data collection and network analysis to preparing evidence reports that can support legal action.

Integrity Malaysia provides anti-counterfeiting services that combine OSINT monitoring, market surveys, and field investigations to help pharmaceutical brand owners and other stakeholders identify, analyse, and gather evidence of counterfeit product distribution in Malaysia.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How can I verify whether a medicine is legally registered in Malaysia?

Check the product’s MAL registration number through the official NPRA QUEST3+ database and look for the Farmatag® security hologram on the product packaging.

What are the main laws governing the sale of counterfeit medicines in Malaysia?

The Poisons Act 1952 and Sale of Drugs Act 1952 are two key laws used by Malaysian authorities when taking enforcement action against unregistered and counterfeit medicines.

Is OSINT legally permitted for investigating counterfeit medicine sales online?

Yes. OSINT relies on information that is publicly and lawfully available, such as public social media posts and product listings on online marketplaces, for monitoring and evidence-gathering purposes. However, organisations conducting investigations should ensure that their methods comply with applicable laws, platform terms, privacy requirements, and other relevant regulations.

Photo by Integrity