Products found to contain undeclared medicines
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| Singapore: HSA Alert: Lung Tan Tsao and Candy B+ Coffee Extra Power found to contain potent medicinal ingredients; One led to adverse effects in a consumer |
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The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is alerting members of the public not to purchase or consume the following 2 products. These products may pose serious health risks as they were tested to contain potent medicinal ingredients including a steroid, an antihistamine and high levels of an erectile dysfunction medicine. The affected products are:
- Lung Tan Tsao (contains chlorpheniramine and dexamethasone)
- Candy B+ Coffee Extra Power (contains tadalafil)
A woman in her 40s experienced weight gain and swelling of the face after taking Lung Tan Tsao. This product was labelled for the relief of various conditions including eczema, allergies and pain. It was also falsely labelled to contain a variety of natural herbs. The woman had obtained the product from her friend who purchased it in Malaysia. Her doctor became suspicious of the product as it cleared the woman’s eczema as rapidly as a prescription medicine would do. HSA tested Lung Tan Tsao and detected chlorpheniramine (an antihistamine) and dexamethasone (a steroid). These potent medicinal ingredients can cause serious adverse effects when used without medical supervision. Long-term unsupervised use of steroids can cause serious adverse effects including increased blood glucose levels (which may lead to diabetes) and Cushing’s syndrome (a round face or ‘moon face’ appearance and upper body obesity with thin limbs).
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers from Air Cargo Command detected 15 boxes of Candy B+ Coffee Extra Power in a parcel and referred the case to HSA for further investigation. The product was labelled as “superfood” and “fountain of youth”, and claimed to contain known herbal ingredients such as tongkat ali extract, sky fruit extract and maca powder. However, HSA tested the product to contain over 50 times the usual daily dose of tadalafil, an erectile dysfunction medicine. When used without medical supervision, tadalafil can increase risk of stroke and heart attack.
Please refer to the following website in HSA for details:
http://www.hsa.gov.sg/announcements/press-release/hsa-alert-lungtantsao-candybcoffee
In Hong Kong, the above products are not registered pharmaceutical products.
Ends/Thursday, May 28, 2020
Issued at HKT 15:00
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