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The Department of Health is investigating a case in which an unregistered influenza vaccine was sold to a number of private medical clinics in Hong Kong.
Initial investigations revealed that a total of 2,700 doses of "Vaxigrip", a French branded flu vaccine, were imported illegally from the Mainland recently.
Most of the unregistered vaccine was supplied to the Raffles Medical Centre which has clinics in Central, Tsim Sha Tsui and the Hong Kong International Airport and the Blue Care's clinic in Central on November 10. About 200 doses went to other private clinics including Healthcare Medical Centre in Po Tin Shopping Centre, Tuen Mun.
Speaking to the media at a press briefing today (December 1), Dr Cindy Lai, Assistant Director of the Department of Health called on members of the public who had recently received influenza vaccinations from the private clinics concerned to call the department's hotline 2575 1221 for health advice.
The hotline will operate until 9pm today and from 9am to 5pm tomorrow.
Dr Lai said a total of 1,109 doses of unregistered "Vaxigrip" were seized from the clinics.
It is believed that, about 1,600 doses of the vaccines in question were administered to people who approached these clinics for vaccinations.
Dr Lai said that according to the packaging, the seized vaccines were packaged by Aventis Pasteur in Shenzhen. The registered flu vaccines with the same brandname being used in Hong Kong are made by the same manufacturer in its plant in France.
"As the vaccines were illegally imported, the cold chain may not be maintained properly. Not keeping the cold chain for vaccines properly may affect the potency of the vaccines, but there is no known harmful effect," Dr Lai said. "The Department of Health will look into if there are reports of adverse effects relating to the injection of unregistered flu vaccines."
She called on people who had received flu vaccinations from the clinics concerned since November 10 to seek medical advice by calling the hotlines 9433 6769 (Raffles Medical Centre), 2523 1808 (Blue Care) or 2449 6880 (Healthcare Medical Centre).
She also urged doctors to report to the department's drug complaint hotline, 2572 2068, any suspected supply of unregistered pharmaceutical products.
"Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (PPO), all pharmaceutical products must first be registered before they could be imported and supplied for use in Hong Kong.
"It is an offence for any person to supply an unregistered pharmaceutical product. If convicted, the person concerned is liable to a maximum penalty of a fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment," Dr Lai said.
Ends/Thursday, December 1, 2005
Issued at HKT 19:32
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