Hong Kong woman, 30, arrested over illegal sale of slimming injection
Seized item was Mounjaro injection pen manufactured by US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, but labelled in Japanese
Hong Kong authorities have arrested a 30-year-old woman on suspicion of illegally selling poisons and unregistered pharmaceutical products, after an undercover operation found her offering weight-loss injections online.
The Department of Health said on Wednesday that it acted on a tip-off and obtained the anti-obesity medicine through a transaction on an instant messaging app.
The product bore a Japanese label and indicated that it contained tirzepatide.
According to a photo released by the department, the seized item was a Mounjaro injection pen manufactured by US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, but labelled in Japanese.
Tirzepatide is used for treating obesity and is classified as a Part 1 poison under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance.
Medicines containing the substance must only be used under a doctor’s supervision and dispensed by a registered pharmacist upon prescription.
A Department of Health spokesman said the product was suspected to be an unregistered pharmaceutical item in Hong Kong, adding that authorities would continue to investigate the case.