HSA removes over 3,000 online listings for illegal health products including injections, antibiotics

SINGAPORE - The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has removed more than 3,000 illegal health product listings from local e-commerce and social media platforms in a bid to clamp down on the illegal sale and supply of such products.

In what the HSA described in a Nov 27 statement as a “first-of-its-kind large-scale collaboration with online platform administrators”, a total of 3,336 illegal health product listings were removed.

The authority also issued 1,471 warnings to sellers during the operation that took place from Sept 23 to Oct 23.

The eight platforms that participated in the operation were Amazon Singapore, Carousell, eBay Singapore, Facebook, Lazada, Qoo10, Shopee and TikTok.

“The joint operation to clamp down on the illegal sale and supply of health products sold online illustrates HSA’s commitment to protect consumers from products which are substandard or counterfeit. These products may be

unsafe and carry a significant risk of harm

,” said HSA, urging the public to report any illegal, fake or suspicious health products to them.

In September, a 32-year-old man was fined $266,500 after being convicted of possessing and supplying 126 types of cosmetic products that were found to be counterfeit – the largest fine ever imposed for selling counterfeit cosmetic products, said HSA.

He had intended to sell these counterfeit cosmetic products through multiple accounts he had created on Lazada.

Another case in August saw a 48-year-old woman fined $19,000 and jailed for two weeks for supplying unregistered health products during her home-based aesthetic services, as well as promoting her services on social media.

HSA seized 51 types of health products including dermal fillers and vials of lidocaine carbonate injection from the woman’s home.

In February, a 30-year-old woman was fined $18,000 for selling an unregistered skin cream known as Star Cream on several local e-commerce platforms.

HSA prosecuted the woman after investigating a “serious adverse event” reported in a four-month-old infant who was diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome after the use of the cream, which his mother had purchased online. Cushing’s syndrome is a hormonal disorder that leads to excessive production of the stress hormone cortisol.

The cream was tested by HSA and found to contain clobetasol propionate, a potent steroid, and ketoconazole, a medicine for fungal infections.

Prescription medication, sexual enhancement products

Aesthetic enhancement products formed the majority – about 48 per cent – of the removed listings, with 1,611 listings.

These products included

do-it-yourself beauty injectable kits

, dermal fillers, botulinum toxin, sutures, placenta injectables, and skin products marketed for facial lifting,

skin whitening

, and treating conditions like acne and

eczema

.

HSA singled out do-it-yourself aesthetic beauty injectable kits comprising dermal fillers or botulinum toxin injections in particular, which it said are health products that require its approval before they can be supplied and should be administered by qualified medical practitioners.

The authority had

cautioned the public in 2023 against the use of such kits

, which are often marketed as an affordable alternative to professional cosmetic treatments.

It said that inappropriate or incorrect administration of injections, coupled with the potential risk of injecting unknown substances in the face, can result in complications such as anaphylactic shock, severe infections, blockage of blood vessels leading to tissue death, also known as necrosis, blindness and stroke.

The remaining listings removed included contraceptives (11 per cent), antibiotics or antifungal or antiviral products (10 per cent), contact lenses (7 per cent), sexual enhancement and male vitality products (5 per cent), hair loss products (3 per cent) and analgesics for pain relief (3 per cent).

“Contact lenses are medical devices, and they must be prescribed and dispensed only by registered optometrists or contact lens practising opticians. Consumers who use these products from online sources

face risk of severe adverse reactions

,” said HSA.

In May, a 24-year-old woman who bought contact lenses online said she began feeling a stinging sensation in her eyes when she wore them. She described her eyes as

“red and felt as though they were on fire”

.

Her eyes were found to be infected due to the lenses, and she was prescribed antibiotics and special eye drops to treat the problem.

Prescription- and pharmacy-only medicine made up about 40 per cent of all listings removed, said HSA, adding that such medicine should be obtained from doctors or from pharmacists with a doctor’s prescription.

It

warned in November 2023

that potent prescription medicine should not be shared with or supplied to others, even if medical conditions appear to be similar.

It is illegal to sell unregistered aesthetic enhancement products and

dermal fillers

, prescription-only medicine, medical devices and adulterated health products on local e-commerce and social media platforms.

Anyone found guilty of supplying such health products can be imprisoned for up to three years and/or fined up to $100,000.

HSA said it takes a serious view against those engaged in the illegal sale and supply of these products, and will take strong enforcement action against such individuals.