FDA seizes illegal weight-loss goods
Authorities have confiscated weightloss products with fake labels worth more than 30 million baht in their crackdown against the use of sibutramine.
The raids — which were carried out on Tuesday at two premises in Bangkok and one each in Pathum Thani and Ayutthaya by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the police’s Consumer Protection Division — followed the recent upgrade of sibutramine to a controlled psychotropic substance.
According to the FDA officials, they obtained information that certain batches of the “Like Slim Coffee” and “TABONGPET Coffee” products were suspected to contain sibutramine and carry false labels.
In the first raid carried out at a manufacturing facility in Pathum Thani’s Lam Luk Ka district, the officials confiscated large amounts of weight-loss products being retailed under the brands “Idol Slim Coffee” and “Slim Lesterol Oristat”.
The weight-loss products were found with incorrect labels. Also seized from the premises were labels of drugs that contain sibutramine.
The second raid took place at a house in Ayutthaya’s Uthai district where officials seized seven items of weight-loss coffee products and supplementary food products, including 222 boxes of “TABONGPET Coffee” and “Like Slim Coffee”.
The two other raids were carried out in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao and Don Muang areas, where the authorities confiscated large amounts of weightloss products including “TABONGPET Coffee”, “Idol Slim Coffee”, and “BK Size Coffee”.
The products were sent to the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Sciences to determine if the manufacturers included the restricted drug as an ingredient.
According to FDA officials, manufacturers and distributors initially face charges of selling products with false labels and selling fake food products.
If the lab tests show the weight-loss products indeed contain sibutramine, the manufacturers and distributors will face a more serious charge that carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.
Health authorities decided to put sibutramine, which is used as an appetite suppressant, on the list of Category 1 narcotics because it is known to cause a number of serious side effects, including stomach problems.