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Press Release

Woman arrested for suspected illegal sale of products with undeclared controlled drug substance on the Internet

21 August 2015

A woman aged 30 was arrested today (August 21) in a joint operation by the Department of Health (DH) and the Police for suspected illegal sale of two products (no English name, see photo) on the Internet which are suspected to contain an undeclared Part I poison.

Through the DH's surveillance system, samples of the above products were purchased previously from an Internet seller. Test results from the Government Laboratory revealed that the samples contained an undeclared Part I poison, diclofenac. The investigation is continuing.

Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Oral products containing diclofenac are prescription medicine for the relief of pain. They can only be supplied upon prescription at pharmacies under the supervision of a registered pharmacist. Side effects of diclofenac include gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea and peptic ulcers.

According to the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap 138), all pharmaceutical products must be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong before they can be sold legally in the market. Illegal sale or possession of Part I poisons and unregistered pharmaceutical products are criminal offences. The maximum penalty for each offence is a fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment.

Members of the public who have purchased the above products should stop using them immediately. They should consult health-care professionals for advice if feeling unwell or in doubt after use. They may submit the products to the DH's Drug Office at Room 1856, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, during office hours for disposal.

A spokesman for the DH strongly urged members of the public not to buy products of unknown or doubtful composition, or to consume products from unknown sources. All registered pharmaceutical products should carry a Hong Kong registration number on the label in the format of "HK-XXXXX". The safety, quality and efficacy of unregistered pharmaceutical products are not guaranteed.



Last Revision Date : 21 Aug 2015