The Department of Health urges consumers not to buy or use slimming products Comecoo and Zhong Cao Yao - Jian Kang Jian Fei which contain undeclared Western drug ingredients which can cause serious side effects.

Samples of the products were obtained from an Internet auction website for laboratory tests. The presence of sibutramine and phenolphthalein and two analogues of sibutramine were detected.

The products are not registered pharmaceutical products in Hong Kong.

Safety alert: Consumers should not buy or use Comecoo and Zhong Cao Yao - Jian Kang Jian Fei which contain undeclared Western ingredients which can cause serious side effects.

Sibutramine is a Western medicine used as an appetite suppressant. Its side effects include increased blood pressure and heart rate, psychosis and convulsions. People with heart problems should not take it.

Products with sibutramine must be registered before they can be sold in Hong Kong on a doctor's prescription and dispensed under a pharmacist's supervision.

The sibutramine analogue, being chemically similar to sibutramine, is expected to have the same side effects as sibutramine.

Phenolphthalein was once used for treating constipation but has been banned for its cancer-causing effect.

People should stop using the products immediately and see a doctor if they feel unwell after taking them.