Global pharma raids: HSA removed 959 listings of illegal health products including contact lenses

SINGAPORE – The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has removed 959 illegal health product listings as part of a two-week Interpol-led operation targeting illicit pharmaceuticals.

Some 786 listings targeting Singapore users were for the sale of unregistered contact lenses, up from 171 such listings removed in the previous operation conducted between Dec 16, 2024, and May 16, 2025.

In a statement on May 7, HSA also said it is illegal to sell contact lenses online.

“Contact lenses are medical devices that must be registered with HSA to ensure that they meet the required standards of safety, performance and quality,” the agency said, adding that there have been cases of severe eye injuries from the use of unregistered contact lenses.

“Consumers are therefore required to undergo eye examination and contact lens fitting by registered optometrists or contact lens practising opticians.”

HSA said that since the inception of Interpol’s Operation Pangea in 2008, it has participated in every edition of the raids targeting criminal networks dabbling in illicit pharmaceuticals.

In the latest iteration, conducted between March 10 and 23, HSA seized 6,641 units of illegal health products from Singapore’s borders – with the majority intercepted through postal services.

The bulk of the seized products were prescription medication such as painkillers or sedatives, and anti-parasitic medicine.

HSA said anti-parasitic medication including ivermectin made up 30 per cent of all illegal health products seized.

Ivermectin, commonly used to treat parasitic worm infections, is a prescription-only drug in Singapore.

During the pandemic, groups of people in Singapore began trying to import or use the medication to treat or prevent Covid-19.

In 2021, HSA released an advisory warning Singaporeans against using ivermectin as a treatment against Covid-19, adding that there was no scientific evidence behind claims it would work.

The agency said it had received reports of people requiring hospitalisation after self-medicating with ivermectin. Side effects can range from vomiting and diarrhoea to seizures and liver injury.

Urging the public to practise more caution when they see products sold at prices too good to be true, HSA said sellers may also adopt promotional tactics to bait people into buying illicit pharmaceutical products.

“The use of illegal health products, such as unregistered medical devices and illegal medicines, may not offer the expected product efficacy or could even harm one’s health due to adverse effects arising from adulterated or undeclared contents,” said HSA.