In an announcement this month, HSA said it had seized 970,707 units of illegal health products and removed 7,351 illegal product listings from local e-commerce and social media platforms last year.
Half of these product listings were posted on Shopee (52 per cent), followed by Lazada (36 per cent). Others were found on Carousell (four per cent) and Qoo10 (four per cent).
Counterfeit probiotics, weight loss products and male vitality products containing banned ingredients were among the listings removed.
They were also among the 14 illegal health products which HSA had issued public alerts for last year.
One counterfeit probiotic health supplement, marketed as LACTOGG capsules, did not contain the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG that was listed on the product packaging.
The counterfeit probiotic was listed on Shopee.
The case was uncovered when a consumer in his 40s alerted the HSA after he and his wife experienced abdominal discomfort, vomiting and diarrhoea after taking the product.
Their two-year-old child also developed high fever and had abnormal-coloured faeces after consuming the product.
“HSA’s analysis revealed that the capsules did not contain the probiotic strain that was listed on the packaging. The capsules were verified by the company to be counterfeit. The product packaging was also observed to have poor quality printing.
“The consumer had purchased it on Shopee from a seller who was selling these capsules at a much lower price compared to the genuine product sold in healthcare institutions, clinics, pharmacies and established retailers,” said HSA.
According to a post by LACTOGG on its official Facebook page, the counterfeit probiotic product was packaged to imitate its LACTOGG capsules in Malaysia packaging.
The post also emphasised that there were no counterfeits of its Singapore LACTOGG capsule products, LACTOGG+ sachets. There are also no counterfeits detected in offline or brick and mortar shops.
It also warned that all fake capsules are sold at an unbelievably low price compared to the usual retail price in Singapore. These fake products are also sold online, via e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada.
Sibutramine in “natural health food”
Five weight loss products were also found to be adulterated with sibutramine - a substance that has been banned in Singapore since 2010. Steroids such as dexamethasone and betamethasone valerate were also detected.
These cases were detected through adverse event reporting from healthcare professionals, regular surveillance, and feedback from consumers.
Sausando Cellulite Pills (“消脂丸 ダイエ ットマル”), marketed as a “natural health food” weight loss product, was one of such products.
A man in his 50s was hospitalised after experiencing seizures, hyponatraemia or low level of sodium in blood and vomiting, after taking the pills for five months.
The product, later found to contain sibutramine, the laxative phenolphthalein, and the diuretic frusemide, also made exaggerated claims such as “lose weight fast in 7 days”.
Nature Slim, Slimming Seven Days by Figure Up, Energy Booster Figure-Up New Look Strong Version, and Pelangsing Double Strong were the other weight loss products found to contain banned ingredients or the painkiller diclofenac and were removed from e-commerce listings.
