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A retail shop in Sha Tin was raided today (July 17) in a joint operation by the Department of Health (DH) and the Police for suspected illegal sale and possession of Part I poison and unregistered pharmaceutical products.
Following a public compliant, it was found that the above retail shop has been offering for sale two types of unregistered analgesic patches labelled in Korean to contain diclofenac. Preliminary investigation shows that no Hong Kong pharmaceutical product registration numbers were found on the product labels. An analgesic patch containing diclofenac is a Part I poison which should be sold in pharmacies under the supervision of a registered pharmacist.
During the operation today, a woman aged 20 was arrested by the Police for suspected illegal sale and possession of Part I poison and unregistered pharmaceutical products.
The DH's investigation is ongoing.
Diclofenac is used for the relief of pain and common side effects of using diclofenac-containing analgesic patches include itching and rash at the site of application.
According to the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap 138), all pharmaceutical products must be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board before they can be sold legally in the market. Part I poisons should be sold at pharmacies under the supervision of registered pharmacists. Illegal sale or 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.
"Use of unregistered pharmaceutical products may pose health threats to people as the safety, efficacy and quality of these products are not guaranteed. Members of the public should not self-medicate without advice from healthcare professionals," a spokesman for the DH explained.
The DH strongly urges members of the public not to buy or use unregistered pharmaceutical products. All registered pharmaceutical products should carry a Hong Kong registration number on the package in the format of "HK-XXXXX".
"People who have purchased and used the above products should stop using them and consult healthcare professionals for advice if they feel unwell. They may submit the products to the DH's Drug Office at Room 1856, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, during office hours for disposal," the spokesman said.
Ends/Friday, July 17, 2015
Issued at HKT 19:27
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