Fake weight-loss pills alert

Consumers have been warned to be on the lookout for fake weight-loss pills, imitations of the legitimate slimming pill Xenical which have been found to contain starch and an anti-asthmatic drug called Theophylline. However, they do not contain Orlistat, the agent which helps block the absorption of fat. The fakes were first discovered in January when a consumer phoned Roche Hong Kong, distributor of Xenical, saying the pills she bought from a pharmacy were marked as the genuine article but looked different and seemed to produce different effects. More suspicious samples of slimming pills have been collected and sent to the Department of Health for investigation.