DUBAI // The public has been warned against buying medication over the internet that is not licensed in the UAE or requires a doctor’s prescription.
Drugs such as Adderall and Modafinil, used to treat attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy respectively, are not available here but can be ordered through online pharmacies.
When The National posed as a customer at one online pharmacy, it was told Modafinil had previously been shipped to the Emirates.
“[We do] have a small number of customers based in UAE ordering Modafinil products,” a customer service agent said. “We are aware that customs are vigilant hence all orders are shipped in [a] plain unmarked padded envelope.”
Another company said it had customers from the UAE in the past, but none had purchased more than once.
“We have several customer from UAE, however they just purchased one time so I guess there is no luck for importing medication,” a company representative said.
Neither company responded to requests for an official comment.
The managing director at the American Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology in Abu Dhabi, Dr Yousef Abou Allaban, said: “The trouble has been mostly for people coming from the US and Canada, where there is a greater availability of medications. They have been surprised by a lack of availability here, and have found that the local alternative is not an equivalent.
“There are a number of medications which aren’t registered, and there are people who need these medications.
“Only a minority of people end up doing online ordering. I think [most] people end up suffering.”
Part of the problem, he said, was that agents who supply pharmacies did not see the market as profitable enough to take the necessary steps to register the medicine here.
Dr Amin Hussain Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary for medical practice at the Ministry of Health, said officials wanted to offer the best guidance for patients who might be tempted to use online pharmacies instead of seeking help closer to home.
“We have to study the case and we have to deal with it so carefully,” he said. “If it was for personal use, then we would advise them not to do it again and we take action against the pharmacy.
“If an individual imported narcotic drugs through the website for commercial purposes, that’s a different matter and we have to take action against that person. I can’t say what the specific action would be as it would be action taken by the police.”
Rachel Jex, founder of a Dubai ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) support group, said expatriate parents might be tempted to buy online if they moved to the UAE and found the medicines available were not those that had been prescribed to their child.
“They run into problems because the drugs are similar but they’re not exactly the same, and might not necessarily suit every child,” she said.
She gave an example of the ADHD drug Focalin being used in other countries, but only medicines such as Concerta or Strattera were available here.
"I can understand some parents considering ordering online. But most parents I know wouldn't do that," said Ms Jex. "When it comes to your own child's health, you only want the best. Using medication that's not come a legitimate way is often quite a risky thing to do. The consequences are huge if it's inappropriately prescribed."
mcroucher@thenational.ae
BACK TO ALEXANDRIA
Director: Tamer Ruggli
Starring: Nadine Labaki, Fanny Ardant
Rating: 3.5/5
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports