November 07, 2012

The Department of Health today urged people not to buy or consume a slimming product called Ku Xiu Ba Xiang Jian Fei Wan, as it may contain undeclared and banned ingredients that are dangerous to health.
 
The Hospital Authority notified the department that an 18-year-old woman who had been using the product fell ill with psychiatric symptoms, and was admitted to Tseung Kwan O Hospital on October 17.
 
She was transferred to United Christian Hospital for further treatment of symptoms that included persecutory delusions, and was discharged from hospital on October 26 after treatment.
 
Tests on the product, which the patient purchased online, found the presence of two undeclared and banned Western medicines, sibutramine and phenolphthalein, which are suspected to have caused the adverse effects.
 
Sibutramine is a Part I poison and was once a Western medicine used as an appetite suppressant. Since November 2010, products containing sibutramine have been banned because of increased cardiovascular risk. Phenolphthalein was once used in treating constipation but is now banned for possible cancer-causing effects.
 
People should consult doctors before taking any medication for weight control, the department said.