A woman has been arrested following a series of raids by the Department of Health (DH) on premises suspected of providing injection treatments using unregistered pharmaceutical products.

The DH conducted the raids last Friday and today, searching four beauty service premises in Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, Tsuen Wan and Yuen Long.

Officers seized over 100 vials/ampoules of suspected Part 1 poisons and more than 70 vials/ampoules of unregistered injectables, including a product called Elravie Re2O bearing packaging claiming to contain human tissue. During a joint operation with Police at the Mong Kok premises, the 38-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of these items and unlawful commercial dealing in human organs.

The DH said Elravie Re2O is classified as a “regulated product” under the Human Organ Transplant Ordinance, and as a “pharmaceutical product" under the Pharmacy & Poisons Ordinance.

Controller for Regulatory Affairs Dr Fung Ying said the DH previously received an application for exemption in respect of the “regulated product” concerned and is processing the application. To date, no exemption has been granted for the product, and the DH has not received an application to register it as a “pharmaceutical product”.

Dr Fung stressed that the sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products in Hong Kong is illegal, and the department will continue to investigate the case and trace the source of the unregistered pharmaceutical products.

She cautioned that the product concerned lacks clinical safety data and poses potential public health risks. The DH has previously written to all doctors and private healthcare institutions in Hong Kong reminding them of the need to comply with the relevant legislation.

Dr Fung reminded members of the public that injections are medical procedures restricted to registered practitioners. Before undergoing any injection procedure, she said individuals should ascertain the full name of the doctor concerned, and verify their professional qualifications on the official List of Registered Medical Practitioners or the List of Registered Dentists.

Dr Fung also reminded citizens not to assume that an injection procedure is risk-free simply because it is marketed as a cosmetic treatment or provided at premises offering beauty services.

A registered doctor should be consulted about disease prevention or treatment instead of relying on unsubstantiated medical claims, she added.