Drug alert: The Department of Health warns Marsha Slim Plus is unsafe for consumption.

The Department of Health urges people not to buy or consume Marsha Slim Plus, which contains undeclared Western medicine that can cause serious side effects.

Test results on product samples obtained from a Mong Kok shop showed they contained sibutramine and its analogue, as well as phenolphthalein.

The product was being sold in Marsha Health Care Formula packs which contain a 60-capsule bottle of Marsha Slim Plus and 30 Marsha teabags. The department seized 27 bottles of the product and arrested a 64-year-old woman today.

Sibutramine is used as an appetite suppressant. Its side effects include increased blood pressure and heart rate, psychosis and convulsions. Its sibutramine analogues, being chemically similar to sibutramine, are expected to have the same side effects.