The Department of Health (DH) is following up on false claims made by medical centres claiming to offer a vaccine that prevents multiple cancers in Hong Kong, urging members of the public not to use unregistered pharmaceutical products.
The department today issued a statement in response to media reports that some medical centres were offering a vaccine called “Wilms’ tumor 1” (WT1), which allegedly prevents multiple types of cancer.
The DH stressed that the WT1 vaccine is not a registered pharmaceutical product in Hong Kong and that it is taking the matter seriously.
The department has launched enforcement actions and notified both Mainland authorities and relevant law enforcement departments in Hong Kong.
In July, the DH received reports alleging that “HK Pacific Asia Medical Centre” and its affiliated organisations were advertising the WT1 vaccine on social media, which was suspected of violating the Pharmacy & Poisons Ordinance.
The DH has carried out multiple unannounced inspections of the premises in question. Today, the department conducted further joint operations across seven premises in Hong Kong and Kowloon, including “HK Pacific Asia Medical Centre”.
The department has reminded operators of relevant premises that providing any unregistered pharmaceutical product illegally constitutes an offence under the Pharmacy & Poisons Ordinance, punishable by imprisonment.
The DH will continue to closely monitor the premises in question and gather relevant intelligence, taking decisive enforcement action against any illegal activities.
The department also reiterated to the public that the WT1 vaccine is not a registered pharmaceutical product in Hong Kong. Currently, no relevant registration records have been found with drug regulatory authorities in the Chinese Mainland or overseas.
It highlighted that advertisements claiming to offer this vaccine for cancer prevention are misleading and suspected of fraud.
Furthermore, any healthcare professional who misleads patients into believing that the unregistered WT1 vaccine prevents or treats cancer is in serious breach of professional conduct.
The DH has notified the Customs & Excise Department to follow up on cases where unregistered pharmaceutical products may have been illegally imported into Hong Kong.
As the case may involve the professional conduct of registered medical practitioners, the DH has also referred it to the Medical Council of Hong Kong for further action.
Separately, the DH found that the content of advertisements placed by the companies in question was suspected of breaching the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance.
The DH has already issued warning letters to the relevant companies, requesting them to remove the offending material.
The DH has also notified relevant Mainland law enforcement authorities to take follow-up action, given the serious health risks associated with publishing these advertisements on Mainland social media platforms.
The department advised 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.