The Government today reminded the public that they should take COVID-19 oral drugs according to a doctor's instructions and it is an offence to give or resell the prescribed drugs to others.

It issued the reminder in response to media enquiries on patients reselling COVID-19 oral drugs.

The Hospital Authority has adopted a series of measures to prevent the illegal resale of COVID-19 oral drugs. Doctors will only prescribe the drugs for suitable patients who meet clinical guidelines, including people aged 60 or above as well as high-risk people and those with chronic illnesses under the age of 60.

Prior to receiving service at the designated clinics or through teleconsultation, patients must provide identification documents such as identity cards, and proof of testing positive for COVID-19 such as isolation orders or SMS notifications of positive test results, for verification purposes.

During the consultation process, the doctor will evaluate the symptoms, medical history, and other clinical conditions of the patients to determine whether prescription of oral drugs is appropriate.

Public hospital pharmacy departments have also adopted a new policy, whereby the packaging boxes of the oral drugs will be removed before being dispensed to patients to prevent the drugs from being resold.

According to the Pharmacy & Poisons Ordinance, all pharmaceutical products must be registered with the Pharmacy & Poisons Board of Hong Kong before they can be legally sold on the market.

COVID-19 oral drugs are classified as Part 1 poisons under the ordinance. Illegal sale including supply without payment or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or sale of Part 1 poisons is a criminal offence. The maximum penalty for each offence is a fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment.

The Government stressed that, at present, only two types of COVID-19 oral drugs - Paxlovid and Molnupiravir - supplied in Hong Kong by Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong and Merck Sharp & Dohme (Asia) have been registered as pharmaceutical products in Hong Kong in accordance with the Pharmacy & Poisons Regulations.

The two COVID-19 oral drugs can only be supplied to healthcare institutions and doctors in public and private sectors. Patients can only be prescribed the drugs by registered medical practitioners when needed.

Citizens are reminded not to buy or consume products of doubtful composition or from unknown sources. The safety, quality and efficacy of unregistered pharmaceutical products are not guaranteed.

The Government has an established mechanism in place to monitor the sale of pharmaceutical products. When suspected illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products is detected, investigations will be carried out immediately and any irregularities dealt with in accordance with the laws.