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.
