HSA Flags Four Adulterated Health Products After Consumers Suffer Serious Medical Complications

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Siti Hajar
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The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has flagged four adulterated health products after they were found to contain potent medicinal ingredients, including steroids and sibutramine, a banned substance.

On 25 Mar 2025, HSA urged the public not to buy or use these products following three cases of consumers experiencing serious adverse health effects.

Man Undergoes Emergency Surgery After Taking Steroid-Laced Joint Product

A man in his 50s had to undergo emergency surgery for a perforated gastric ulcer after taking 通脉9骨胶柔 Tong Mai 9 Gu Jiao Rou daily for about two years. He purchased the blister packs from a peddler at an Ang Mo Kio coffee shop to manage his eczema. The peddler also sold the product to other consumers for joint problems.

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The man developed symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome, including a round face or “moon face,” thinning of the skin, and easy skin bruising. These symptoms prompted his doctor to suspect that the product contained adulterants.

HSA’s tests revealed that the product contained two potent medicinal ingredients: dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory steroid, and piroxicam, a painkiller.

The authority noted that the product had a similar appearance to another product called Joint-Soft, which HSA had previously alerted the public to in 2014.

Joint-Soft contained the same potent ingredients and caused a consumer in his 60s to be hospitalised for internal bleeding.

Weight Management Products Cause Serious Side Effects in Female Consumers

Two women suffered adverse effects after consuming weight management health products that claimed to contain natural ingredients.

A woman in her 30s purchased EZ Empire Be Perfect on Shopee to help with weight gain. The product was marketed to “promote healthy weight gain” with supposedly natural ingredients such as fruit extracts and vitamins.

After taking the product daily for about 10 months, she experienced an increased appetite and gained more than 10kg. However, she also developed facial rashes and fatigue after stopping the product for just three days.

Her doctor suspected her symptoms were due to Cushing’s syndrome and steroid withdrawal, and reported the case to HSA.

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Testing revealed that EZ Empire Be Perfect contained cyproheptadine, an antihistamine and appetite stimulant, and dexamethasone, a steroid.

In a separate case, another woman purchased Re5hape hi Morning and Re5hape bye Night from a seller on Instagram.

Both products were promoted to be taken together as part of a “health sculpting programme” to reduce weight and were labelled to contain “all-natural” food extracts and vitamins.

The woman reported experiencing chest pain after taking these products. HSA’s analysis found that Re5hape hi Morning contained sibutramine, a banned substance, while Re5hape bye Night contained sennosides, a laxative.

HSA also discovered that these products were falsely labelled with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) logos, which could mislead consumers into believing that the products were safe and manufactured under high-quality standards.

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Both Re5hape products were also found to be listed on Carousell and Shopee. HSA has worked with the platform administrators to remove the affected listings.

HSA advises those who have consumed 通脉9骨胶柔 Tong Mai 9 Gu Jiao Rou or EZ Empire Be Perfect to see a doctor immediately.

“Do not stop taking them suddenly as this may cause severe withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, confusion and low blood pressure, especially when these products have been taken for more than a few weeks,” the authority warned.

Associate Professor Chan Cheng Leng, group director of HSA’s health products regulation group, said: “Illegal and adulterated health products often present themselves as containing natural ingredients. However, as seen in these cases, they actually contain potent synthetic ingredients that may cause severe medical complications.”

“While HSA conducts surveillance and testing of health products on the market, we urge consumers to be discerning and buy health products only from reputable sources,” she added.

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The authority warned all sellers and suppliers of the four products to stop selling them immediately. HSA will take stronger enforcement actions against those who continue to sell or supply products found to be adulterated with banned substances or potent ingredients.

If convicted, sellers and suppliers may be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

A database of illegal health products can be found on HSA’s website.

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Siti Hajar