Exclusive | No prescription, no problem: Hong Kong’s grey zone for weight-loss injections
Slimming injections cannot be sold or purchased in Hong Kong without doctor’s prescription, but some retailers are operating grey market
Online retailers and a Hong Kong pharmacy are offering slimming injections without prescriptions despite local authorities requiring a doctor’s approval before purchase, a Post investigation has found, with an expert warning it could lead to misuse.
Weight-loss injections, which have been approved by Hong Kong authorities for use, have become increasingly popular around the world and work by targeting hormones, reducing appetite and slowing down food digestion.
In Hong Kong, such products are categorised as a Part 1 poison and can only be sold in pharmacies under the supervision of registered pharmacists. A prescription must also be provided upon purchase.
Anyone caught illegally selling or possessing the product faces a fine of up to HK$100,000 (US$12,800) and a maximum prison sentence of two years.
Dr Francis Chow Chun-chung, the founding president of the Hong Kong Association for the Study of Obesity, meanwhile, warned that the injections also came with health risks.
“If someone is not clinically obese but abuses these drugs for cosmetic purposes … one can slim down, but face many potential medical risks, with the most serious cases potentially leading to death,” he said.
The Post’s investigation found the medications were available from a vendor on a second-hand goods platform Carousell, two online stores and a local pharmacy without any indication that a prescription was needed.