SINGAPORE - The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) took down more than 12,000 listings of illegal health products on local e-commerce and social media platforms in 2023 – almost thrice as many as the year before.

About 48 per cent of the sellers of such products on those platforms were based in Singapore, with the bulk of the items being sexual enhancement and male vitality supplements as well as addictive medicines such as codeine cough syrup, the HSA said on Jan 30.

The products were either unregistered, counterfeit, or contained potent medicinal ingredients or banned substances.

The spike in the number of listings removed – from 4,569 listings in 2022 to 12,474 in 2023 – was mainly because of two international operations coordinated by Interpol.

Between June 23 and June 30, 2023, HSA removed more than 800 listings of illegal health products from platforms such as Shopee, Carousell and Facebook.

In October that year, it took down over 4,600 listings of illegal health products.

A total of 1,895 sellers received warnings, said the HSA statement.

The listings removed included hair and beauty products, as well as those for managing chronic conditions such as eczema and gout.

Such health products often contain potent steroids, with prolonged use possibly causing side effects like Cushing’s syndrome – which is marked by a round face and upper body obesity with thin limbs – high blood pressure and bone disorders.

HSA also seized more illegal health products in 2023, about 1.12 million units compared with the 737,000 in 2022.

It attributed the larger haul to increased surveillance and enforcement actions against illegal suppliers in areas where such products are peddled. The street value of the items seized amounts to about $658,000.

Of the illegal products seized, the majority was codeine cough syrup, with other products including sexual enhancement and male vitality supplements, sedatives and other prescription medicines.

During a joint operation with the police in June 2023, about 190 litres of illegal codeine cough syrup worth $150,000 was confiscated from syndicates. One of the largest seizures in the last five years, the amount could fill about 2,100 90ml prescription-size bottles dispensed at clinics, said HSA.

Calling illegal health products a continued threat to public health and safety, it said that such items will remain in circulation as long as demand exists.

Sellers will constantly find ways to take advantage of people’s health concerns and profit off them, it said, adding that “they have no regard for the health and safety of their buyers”.

Associate Professor Chan Cheng Leng of HSA said: “Health products such as medicines or health supplements are not like other commodities such as clothes or household devices, where their quality defects can be readily identified by the individual.”

The group director of health products regulation added: “There is no telling whether a health product is sub-standard or adulterated with harmful medicinal ingredients, and the adverse impact on the person’s health can be serious and even fatal.”

Stressing that it will take stern action against sellers of such illegal products, HSA said it prosecuted 16 people in 2023.

Those found guilty of selling illegal health products can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $100,000, or both.

Anyone with information on the sale of illegal health products can call HSA’s enforcement branch on 6866-3485 or e-mail hsa_is@ hsa.gov.sg