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Man arrested for suspected illegal sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products with controlled drug substance (with photo)
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     A 38-year-old man was arrested today (March 30) in a joint operation by the Department of Health (DH) and the Police for illegal sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products labelled to contain a Part I poison, oxandrolone.

     During the DH's surveillance, it was found that injectable and oral drugs labelled as containing oxandrolone were being offered for sale to bodybuilders through the Internet. Products containing oxandrolone are prescription medicines which should only be used under the advice of a medical doctor or supplied by pharmacies under the supervision of a registered pharmacist upon a doctor's prescription.

     The investigation is continuing.

     Oxandrolone is a steroid with androgenic activity. Its side effects include oedema, hypercalcaemia, headache, depression, irritability and gastrointestinal bleeding. It may also cause acute liver failure.

     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 and Part I poisons 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.

     A DH spokesman strongly urged members of the public not to use controlled medicines on their own without advice from a medical doctor. They should not buy or use products of unknown or doubtful composition, or use 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.

     People who have purchased the above products may submit them to the Drug Office of the DH at Room 1856, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, during office hours for disposal.

Ends/Monday, March 30, 2015
Issued at HKT 19:28

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