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Press Release

DH urges public not to buy or use Turboderm-M Cream with undeclared drug ingredients

16 May 2016

The Department of Health (DH) today (May 16) urged the public not to buy or use a product called Turboderm-M Cream as it was found to contain undeclared drug ingredients and a false Hong Kong registration number labelled on its box.

Acting on a public complaint, a shop in Tsing Yi was found to be offering the above product for sale and a sample was collected for analysis. The Government Laboratory's testing results showed that the sample contained Part 1 poisons, clotrimazole and betamethasone. In addition, the product is not a registered pharmaceutical product in Hong Kong.

The DH's investigation is ongoing.

"Topical preparations containing betamethasone are used for the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders and should only be used under the advice of a doctor. These products can only be sold at pharmacies under the supervision of a registered pharmacist upon a doctor's prescription. Inappropriate use of steroids such as betamethasone may cause serious side-effects such as Cushing's syndrome, with symptoms including moon face and muscle atrophy. Clotrimazole is commonly used externally for fungal infections. It can cause side-effects such as irritation and allergic reactions," a spokesman for the DH said.

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 and possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons are criminal offences. The maximum penalty for each offence is a fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment.

"All registered pharmaceutical products should be labelled with a Hong Kong registration number in the format of HK-XXXXX. Members of the public can verify the registration number via the website of our Drug Office at This link will open in a new windowwww.drugoffice.gov.hk," the spokesman added.

Members of the public who have purchased the above product should stop using it and consult healthcare professionals for advice. They may submit the product to the Drug Office in Room 1856, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, during office hours for disposal.



Last Revision Date : 16 May 2016