The Department of Health (DH) and Police today arrested two people and seized over 50 vials of unregistered injectable pharmaceutical products during raids on premises offering an alleged cancer vaccine.
In a new series of raids targeting premises that offer the “Wilms’ tumour 1” (WT1) vaccine under false claims of cancer prevention, officers searched over 10 locations across Hong Kong and seized the vials from two of them.
So far, a man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of illegally possessing unregistered pharmaceutical products and Part 1 poisons under the Pharmacy & Poisons Ordinance.
The DH’s Controller of Regulatory Affairs Dr Fung Ying highlighted that the WT1 vaccine is not a registered pharmaceutical product in Hong Kong, and no person shall illegally sell or possess unregistered pharmaceutical products.
“Any advertisement claiming to provide this vaccine for cancer prevention is misleading and constitutes suspected fraud,” she added.
The DH previously conducted multiple inspections at “HK Pacific Asia Medical Centre”, which is suspected of involvement, as well as other companies and related organisations that claimed on social media to offer the WT1 vaccine.
Dr Fung said the department is also tracing the source of the products and has investigated the company suspected of supplying the WT1 reagent to the relevant institutions.
As the case may involve illegal importation of unregistered pharmaceutical products into Hong Kong, the DH has notified Customs for follow-up.
“The DH will continue to work closely with relevant departments to monitor the situation, gather intelligence, conduct in-depth investigations, and crack down on illegal activities involving the sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products,” Dr Fung emphasised.
The department will also send letters to all doctors and private healthcare facilities in the city, reminding them that they must comply with the law in Hong Kong and must not administer illegal pharmaceutical products to patients.
In response to allegations that a registered doctor and nurse provided the WT1 vaccine to clients, the DH has referred the cases to the Medical Council of Hong Kong and the Nursing Council of Hong Kong for follow-up.
The DH also determined that the advertisements by the premises in question are suspected of violating the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance.
The department previously issued warning letters requesting the removal of the advertisements. If they are not taken down, the department will prosecute those responsible.
The DH also notified the relevant Mainland law enforcement authorities regarding the publication of these advertisements on Mainland social media platforms.
The department has not received any reports of adverse effects from members of the public in relation to the injection of WT1. Dr Fung reminded members of the public to consult a registered doctor regarding any queries about disease prevention and treatment, and not to blindly trust unproven medical claims.