President of the Lebanese Order of Pharmacists Joe Salloum declared that contraband medicine was invading Lebanese markets, noting that this constitutes a health disaster.

"The significant decline in the import of medicines indicates that the Lebanese are resorting to alternative markets which is not their fault," Salloum said in an interview with MTV.

He pointed out that the government must control the borders, prevent the entry of smuggled medicine, and provide quality medicine instead.

"The solution is to lift subsidies, but this step must be followed by issuing a health card and providing financial support to buy medicine," he concluded.