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Foreign product alert

Foreign Product Alerts: 11 slimming products

Starting date:: August 7, 2013
Posting date:: August 7, 2013
Type of communication:: Foreign Product Alert (FPA)
Subcategory:: Natural health products
Source of recall:: Health Canada
Issue:: Undeclared Substance
Audience:: General Public
Identification number:: RA-34859

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Introduction

These products are not authorized for sale in Canada and have not been found in the Canadian marketplace, but it is possible they may have been brought into the country by travellers or purchased over the Internet.

Affected products

Brazilian Slimming Coffee
Leisure 18 Slimming Coffee
7 Days Slimming Coffee
Brazilian 7 Days Slimming Coffee
Beauty Secret Slimming Coffee
Body Beauty 5 Days Slimming Coffee
Leisure 18 Slimming Mango Juice
Leisure 18 Slimming Orange Juice
Authentic Leisure 18 Slimming Orange Juice
Super Slim Orange Juice
Coffee Fashion Slimming

Product description

These products are promoted for weight loss.

Hazard identified

The Hong Kong Department of Health has advised consumers not to use these products after they were found to contain the undeclared drug ingredients sibutramine and/or phenolphthalein.

Sibutramine was previously used to treat obesity but is no longer authorized for sale in Canada because of its association with an increased risk of cardiovascular side effects such as heart attack and stroke.
Phenolphthalein was previously used as a laxative but is no longer authorized for sale in Canada because it may cause cancer.

Place of origin

Unknown

Side effects

In addition to heart attack and stroke, side effects associated with sibutramine include increased blood pressure and heart rate, dry mouth, difficulty sleeping and constipation. In addition to the risk of cancer, side effects associated with phenolphthalein include decreased blood pressure, skin rash and gastrointestinal bleeding.

What you should do

Health Canada advises Canadians to contact the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate at 1-800-267-9675 if they find the product listed above in the Canadian marketplace. Canadians who have this product are advised not to use it, and should consult with a health care practitioner if they have concerns about their health related to the use of this product.

Background

Drugs and natural health products that are authorized for sale in Canada will have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label. These numbers indicate that the products have been assessed by Health Canada for safety, effectiveness and quality. Some products may also still have an Exemption Number (EN). Health Canada has allowed a transition period for industry to move natural health products through the market that were labelled with temporary EN numbers.

As of July 30, 2013, no adverse reactions suspected to be associated with the use of these products have been reported to Health Canada.

Report a health or safety concern

Call toll-free at 1-866-234-2345
Visit Health Canada's Web page on Adverse Reaction Reporting for information on how to report online, by mail or by fax