HSA Discovered Illegal Substance in Weight-Loss Products Sold To S’poreans Online

Singaporeans are getting more and more used to shopping online. After all, the stuff’s cheaper and we need to make our limited salaries last, right?

Clothes and shoes are fine, but where do you draw the line at what you’ll be willing to buy online?

Do you buy health products online, like appetite suppressants or quick weight-loss products?

Because if you do, then you might want to stop doing that.

Health Sciences Authority (HSA) Seized $9,000 Worth of Products in Global Operation

The problem about online shopping, or e-commerce, is how you can’t really regulate the domain.

While it’s fine in terms of not being able to tax our purchases, it also makes it hard to verify the legitimacy or safety of the products in question.

After all, you’re hardly able to differentiate between a real Hello shop and an authorised retailer of Singtel, how can you verify if the shop selling the items you want is a legit source?

From 9 to 16 Oct, the HSA participated in a global operation organised by the Interpol and cracked down on websites selling contraband items to Singaporeans here.

All in all, they’ve seized about 4,520 units of illegal health products worth $9,000 in the operation.

But That’s Not The Worst Part

Singapore’s food pretty safe and everybody knows that’s because the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore is pretty diligent in their job.

They’re the frontline against harmful products coming into Singapore, often recalling and banning products with harmful ingredients.

And most of the health products seized, according to the HSA, contained substances that are not approved, or banned, by AVA.

A majority of the products seized were weight-loss products.

They promise to suppress your appetite and claims to burn fats fast. In addition, the products are touted as being 100% natural or made with natural herbs.

What they’ve found was that the products were made with “potent medicinal ingredients” and a banned substance, sibutramine.

Sibutramine was previously prescribed in Singapore to help with weight-loss. Unfortunately, it was removed after the substance was found to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The substance was also found to induce harmful side effects like hallucinations, palpitations and breathlessness.

Found Prescribed-Only Medication As Well

HSA added that they’ve seized 500 modafinil tablets, which are prescribed-only medication in Singapore, during the operation as well.

Modafinil is a medicine used to treat drowsiness due to narcolepsy, sleep disorders or obstructive sleep apnea.

And they’re prescribed-only medication for a good reason: you can’t take them for a long time.

Your brain will be hooked onto the stimulant effect and side effects include heart problems, hypertension and psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, hallucinations or mania.

Anyways, if you’re confused, there are two types of medications: one can be bought off the shelf (e.g. Panadol) and one that must be prescribed by a doctor or pharmacist. The latter needs registration as well, unlike the former whereby your friends can buy for you.

So technically, prescribed-only medication cannot anyhowly be sold.

A Word of Caution

And there we go back to the lesson of the day: when something’s too good to be true, it usually is.

HSA would like to remind Singaporeans not to buy from online sources even if they appear “cheaper and better”.

The price markdown could be due to inferior ingredients.

Like the Chinese like to say, 一分钱，一分货  (you get what you pay for).

And if you die-die want to buy from online, buy from shops that physical stores in Singapore.

So they won’t anyhowly do things mah, if not they have more to lose.