Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by the Hon Nixie Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (May 13):
Question:
It has been reported that the illegal sale of drugs commonly known as “slimming injections” (glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) class injectable prescription drugs) has recently persisted on social media platforms, online shopping channels and messaging application groups. It is learnt that many members of the public have purchased the relevant unregistered drugs or parallel-imported drugs through illegal channels without undergoing professional assessment by a doctor or without a valid doctor’s prescription, posing significant risks to their health. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective numbers of reports received, arrests made and prosecutions instituted by the authorities in relation to the illegal online sale or supply of weight-loss injection-type prescription drugs in the past 12 months; and of the respective numbers of enforcement operations launched by the Department of Health, the Customs and Excise Department and the Police against such illegal acts, the quantities of illegal drugs seized, the number of cases in which prosecutions were instituted and the penalties imposed in convicted cases;
(2) whether the Government has conducted interdepartmental joint monitoring and enforcement in respect of the current circulation modes, cross-boundary transportation channels and major sales platforms for the illegal online sale of weight-loss injection-type prescription drugs, including conducting comprehensive inspections and intercepting illegal sales activities on social media platforms and the Internet, as well as combating the cross-boundary illegal importation of the relevant drugs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether the authorities will review the existing legislation relating to drug regulation to strengthen the penalties for the illegal sale and supply of prescription drugs so as to enhance the deterrent effect, as well as to step up the relevant law enforcement work; if so, of the details and the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) whether the authorities will step up publicity to members of the public on the health risks of the unauthorised use of weight-loss injection-type drugs which are unregistered or purchased through illegal channels, and appeal to members of the public not to purchase and use prescription drugs through illegal channels; if so, of the details?
Reply:
President,
Having consulted the Department of Health (DH), the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) and the Hong Kong Police Force, the consolidated reply to the Hon Nixie Lam’s question is as follows:
In Hong Kong, almost all anti-obesity medicines are prescription drugs, and should only be used under close supervision of doctors.
Drug regulation and import and export control
Currently, injectable medicines registered in Hong Kong for the treatment of obesity include liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are all Part 1 poisons and prescription drugs (i.e. Schedule 3 Poisons) under the the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138) (the Ordinance). According to the Ordinance, pharmaceutical products must meet the criteria of safety, efficacy and quality and be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong before they can be sold in the market.
As Part 1 poisons-containing pharmaceutical products and prescription drugs, injectable medicines for the treatment of obesity could only be sold at the registered premises of an authorised seller of poisons (commonly referred as pharmacy) under the supervision of a registered pharmacist upon a doctor’s prescription, and should be used under a doctor’s direction. Any person who illegally sells (through any channel, including the Internet) or possesses unregistered pharmaceutical products, Part 1 poisons, or sells prescription drugs without the authority of a prescription commits an offence and shall be liable, upon conviction, to a maximum penalty of a fine of $100,000 and two-years’ imprisonment. Any person who is not a registered medical practitioner or registered dentist could not perform medicine injection procedures; otherwise, the person may be charged for violating the Medical Registration Ordinance (Cap. 161) or the Dentists Registration Ordinance (Cap. 156).
Furthermore, import and export of pharmaceutical products are controlled under the Import and Export Ordinance (Cap. 60). Any person who imports or exports pharmaceutical product without relevant licence commits an offence, and shall be liable, upon conviction, to a maximum penalty of a fine of $500,000 and two-years’ imprisonment.
Law enforcement
In response to the illegal sale of controlled anti-obesity injectable medicines in the market, the Drug Office of the DH has in particular stepped up inspection and enforcement across Hong Kong from January to April 2026, as well as maintained close communication with other law enforcement agencies regarding the suspected cases, the nature of the medicines and relevant regulatory matters:
(a) The Drug Office of the DH conducted six joint enforcement actions with the Hong Kong Police Force or the C&ED, arrested several persons for suspected contravention of drug related legislations which included persons involved in illegal possession or sale of Part 1 poisons and unregistered pharmaceutical products, and seized a total of 47 boxes of anti-obesity injections. The DH will continue to work with relevant enforcement agencies to crack down on such illegal activities.
(b) In response to the illegal import and export of controlled injections and drugs, the C&ED conducted multiple special operations during the same period, detected 15 major smuggling cases and seized over five million suspected pharmaceutical products and approximately 150 000 controlled injections suspected of containing Part 1 poisons (including approximately 130 000 anti-obesity injection vials and approximately 20 000 cosmetic injection vials), with an estimated market value of approximately $220 million.
The DH has an established mechanism to monitor the sale of medicines in the market (including the Internet) through unannounced inspections, market surveillance and control buy to surveil the sale of medicines including the Internet. If the DH detects any persons suspected of illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons, sale of prescription drugs without the authority of a prescription, and more, it will promptly investigate, and, depending on actual needs, refer the case to other law enforcement agencies such as the Hong Kong Police Force and the C&ED to follow up, or conduct joint operations with them, to crack down unlawful acts.
Overall speaking, over the past 12 months (from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026), enforcement actions taken by the Drug Office of the DH and the C&ED regarding the sale of medicines include:
(a) The Drug Office of the DH conducted around 1 189 unannounced inspections against pharmacies in Hong Kong. During the same period, it handled 41 conviction cases involving illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons (including but not limited to the so-called “Anti-obesity injectable” medicines) with two cases involving Internet sellers. Among these 41 cases, the cases with the highest penalties were sentenced to two months’ imprisonment (suspended for three years) or imposed with a $87,000 fine.
(b) During the same period, the DH handled six conviction cases involving illegal sale of prescription drugs by pharmacies. The case with the highest fine imposed was $87,000.
(c) The C&ED received a total of 54 reports involving illegal import and export of injectable medicines (including but not limited to the so-called “Anti-obesity injectable” medicines). The number of cases involving illegal import and export of injectable medicines detected by the C&ED, number of seizures, number of prosecutions, number of persons prosecuted and penalties imposed are tabulated below:
| From April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026 | |
| Number of cases detected (Note 1 and 5) |
45 |
| Number of seizures (Note 1 and 2) |
Approximately 96 000 nos., 185 000 mL, and 160 mg respectively |
| Number of prosecutions (Note 3) | 6 |
| Number of persons prosecuted (Note 3) |
7 |
| Penalties (Note 4) | Fine of $20,000 and imprisonment of two to six months |
Note 1: This refers to cases involving illegal import or export of injectable medicines in violation of the Import and Export Ordinance and the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, including drugs commonly known as “Anti-obesity injectable” medicines. The C&ED does not maintain a breakdown of statistics for drugs commonly known as “Anti-obesity injectable” medicines.
Note 2: As the packaging of the seized injectable medicines varies, they cannot be presented in a uniform unit.
Note 3: Cases with prosecutions instituted during the year.
Note 4: Cases with trial concluded during the year.
Note 5: As some cases are under the legal proceedings, the outcomes conviction/sentencing results have not yet been determined.
Publicity and education
The DH has been providing drug safety information to the public through different channels, urging members of the public not to purchase and use prescription drugs through illegal channels. The DH has also advised the public that the relevant drugs may not be properly stored during transportation (especially for drugs requiring cold-chain storage), which may result in adverse effect to the drug safety and create health risks. The DH has also reminded the public that selling medicines controlled under the Ordinance illegally, regardless of the sales channel (including online sales platforms, instant messaging applications or social media), carries criminal liabilities.
The DH has prepared safety information for consumers regarding the purchase and use of medicines, including online information of “General Knowledge on the Use of Medicines”, “Be Cautious when Buying Medicines on Internet”, “Health message on overweight problem and slimming products” and “Slimming Products with Undeclared Western Drug Ingredients”, to remind the public to refrain from purchasing or using products of doubtful composition or from dubious sources, with a view to safeguarding public health.
At the same time, the Government has always been concerned about the adverse health effects of obesity on members of the public. In March this year, the Government launched Hong Kong’s inaugural Action Plan on Weight Management, adopting a life-course approach and whole-of-society participation as its strategic framework. Through cross-departmental and multi-disciplinary effort, the Government encourages members of the public to adopt healthy lifestyle. To manage weight effectively, members of the public should maintain a balanced diet and engage in appropriate amounts of physical activity. Members of the public should consult a doctor or pharmacist before using any anti-obesity medication, and strictly adhere to the treatment plans prescribed by doctors.