Press Release
Public urged not to consume products with undeclared ingredients
18 Mar 2010
The Department of Health (DH) has repeated its call on members of the public not to buy or use a slimming product named "Kartien Easy to Slim" as it was found to contain undeclared western drug ingredients that may cause serious side effects.
The appeal followed investigations by the department into a report by the Hospital Authority today (March 18) concerning a 35-year-old woman feeling unwell.
According to the patient, she had taken the product for weight reduction.
The patient was admitted to Prince of Wales Hospital on December 20 last year for acute psychotic symptoms including paranoid ideas and auditory hallucinations and transferred to Shatin Hospital on December 29.
She was discharged on February 8, 2010 and is now in stable condition.
Investigations revealed that the woman allegedly bought the concerned slimming product from a Chinese Medical Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui last year and took it from July to December 2009.
Investigation continues.
The department issued a warning in May 2008 reminding people not to take the product as laboratory tests on the product during surveillance operation showed the presence of sibutramine and its analogues. The distributor was instructed to recall the product from the market. Retailers were also instructed to remove the product from their shelves. DH surveillance did not find the product in the market since then.
The spokesman said that sibutramine was a western medicine used as an appetite suppressant. Its side-effects included increased blood pressure and heart rate, psychosis and possibly convulsion. Sibutramine has been reported in some literature to be associated with psychosis. People with heart problems should not take it.
The sibutramine analogue, being chemically similar to sibutramine, is expected to have the same side effects as sibutramine.
Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, sibutramine must be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board and can be sold only on a doctor's prescription and under supervision of a pharmacist. Possession for the purpose of sale or sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products is liable on conviction to a $100,000 fine and two years' imprisonment.
The spokesman advised people who had used the product to stop taking it immediately and seek advice from healthcare professionals if they felt unwell.
He said, "Weight control should be achieved by observing good diet and appropriate exercise. They should consult healthcare professionals before using any medication for weight control."
Enquiries may be directed to the DH's hotline 21251133 from 9 am to 5pm on weekdays.
People who have the slimming product in their possession should dispose of the product themselves or submit it to the department's Pharmaceutical Service at 3/F, Public Health Laboratory Centre, 382 Nam Cheong Street, Kowloon,during office hours.
