Products found to contain undeclared medicines
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| Singapore: HSA alerts public to ‘beFIT Total Garcinia Cambogia’ sold online and found to contain very high quantities of banned substance sibutramine |
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The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is alerting members of the public not to purchase ‘beFIT Total Garcinia Cambogia’, an illegal weight loss product sold online. The product was tested by HSA to contain sibutramine and phenolphthalein, which are potent, undeclared western medicinal ingredients.
Sibutramine, a prescription-only weight loss drug, has been banned in Singapore since 2010 due to serious safety concerns. Furthermore, the very high level of sibutramine detected in ‘beFIT Total Garcinia Cambogia’ could increase the toxicity of this product and lead to serious cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and fits. Phenolphthalein has been used medicinally as a laxative but is no longer in use in Singapore.
‘beFIT Total Garcinia Cambogia’ was touted to help in weight loss and labelled to contain garcinia cambogia fruit extract as the main ingredient to ‘support appetite control’ and ‘inhibit fat production’. HSA’s investigations revealed that the product is sold on local websites and social media platforms. The seller is currently assisting HSA with the investigation.
Consumers are advised to stop taking ‘beFIT Total Garcinia Cambogia’ immediately and consult a doctor if they feel unwell or are concerned about their health
Please refer to the following website in HSA for details:
http://www.hsa.gov.sg/content/hsa/../hsa-alerts-publictobefittotalgarciniacambogiasoldonlineandfoundt.html
In Hong Kong, the above product is not a registered pharmaceutical product.
Ends/ Friday, May 08, 2015
Issued at HKT 14:00 |
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