The Department of Health urges people not to buy or consume two slimming products - Slim Perfect Arm and Slim Perfect Legs - as they contain an undeclared and banned ingredient that is dangerous to health.
Acting on a public complaint, the department obtained samples of the products from a retail shop in Yau Ma Tei for analysis and found sibutramine, a banned drug ingredient, in the slimming products.
The department worked with the Police today and arrested an 18-year-old woman for suspected illegal sale and possession of an unregistered pharmaceutical product.
Sibutramine is a Part I poison and was once used as an appetite suppressant. Since November 2010, products containing sibutramine have been banned in Hong Kong because of increased cardiovascular risk.
The department called on people who have purchased the products to stop consuming them immediately and consult doctors if they feel unwell.
