iHerb suspends sale of melatonin to Australia

Australian Community Media

The online retailer abruptly halted its sale of melatonin supplements to Australia following reports of increased overdoses, especially in children. Video voice-over made using ACM-approved AI.

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00:00So I just heard that iHerb is no longer selling melatonin to Australia.

00:05These have just been banned for sale on iHerb in Australia and if you're a parent whose kid

00:11is dependent on melatonin to sleep you're probably freaking out right now. Things you don't find in

00:17the supermarket in Australia is a melatonin. You need a prescription to buy it in Australia

00:21but I can literally buy it by the bucket load in the USA. A major online health retailer has

00:27suspended the sale of melatonin to Australia. US-based pharmaceutical iHerb abruptly ended

00:33its supply of the sleep aid after concerns of a spike in overdoses especially amongst children.

00:40iHerb allowed Australian buyers to bypass local prescription requirements by ordering quantities

00:46of the drug from overseas. Melatonin is a hormone produced in the body naturally which has a hand

00:53in controlling the sleep-wake cycle. Data released by the West Australian indicates that there may

00:59have been an increase in melatonin overdoses particularly affecting children with reports

01:04of side effects including drowsiness, headaches, upset stomachs and nightmares. According to the

01:11West Australian report, calls to the state's poisons hotline regarding melatonin have increased

01:16by 166 per cent in five years with 90 per cent of the calls involving children. iHerb has not provided

01:25further details on how long the sale suspension will last but a spokesperson said quote the health and

01:32well-being of our customers always comes first that's why we are suspending all melatonin sales to

01:38Australian customers while we further review our order protocols for these products. Our goal is to

01:44support wellness responsibly and to give our customers confidence that they can shop with safety and trust.

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