Warning over slimming drug

Health officials yesterday warned the public not to take an unregistered slimming drug containing a banned substance that has made two women ill and led to three arrests.

The warning came as Arma-Sin Gang San, who suffered hallucinations and confusion after taking the drug last month, was still recovering in hospital.

A Health Department spokesman said laboratory tests showed that the appetite suppressant contained fenfluramine, which has been banned in Hong Kong for a decade, and sibutramine, which is limited to registered, prescription-only medicines.

The 30-year-old Indonesian woman is in stable condition at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital. She had been taking the drug for about two weeks before falling ill.

In an earlier case, a 27-year-old woman, also from Indonesia, was discharged after treatment for similar symptoms.

The department said it seized 24 boxes of the product from two shops after receiving a complaint and police arrested three people. It said the drug was believed to come from Indonesia. The 30-year-old woman said she had bought it from a friend.