Banned drug substances found in certain weight-loss products sold on overseas online shopping malls

-Measures needed to ban domestic purchases of products recalled in other countries-

  Increasing number of consumers are using overseas online shopping malls to purchase weight-loss products. However, consumers need to be aware that certain products contain illegal drug substances which may cause serious side effects.

  The Korea Consumer Agency (www.kca.go.kr) tested 14 weight-loss products purchased via overseas online shopping malls, and found excess amounts of drug substances banned from use such as ‘Sibutramine’and ‘Sennoside’.

  ※ Sibutramine

  Initially developed to treat depression but used for treating obesity on weight loss effects. However, sales and usage of sibutramine was suspended worldwide since 2010 after reports of serious side effects such as strokes and cardiovascular disorders.

  ※ Sennoside

  Effective remedy for diarrhea but usage as food ingredients was banned as it may cause side effects (such as stomachaches and vomiting) on excessive intake, and may cause stomach cramps, chronic constipation and intestinal disorders over the long run.

  In particular, five of the seven products have been recalled for the same reason in the US, Canada, and Germany. However, the KCA discovered that domestic consumers were able to easily purchase them via overseas online shopping malls, and stressed that immediate measures needed to be taken to ban imports and block the illegal weight-loss products from going through customs.

  The domestic weight-loss product market is valued at 3,200 billion won($3.2 billion) and is growing by more than 20% each year. Thanks to positive traits such as convenience, low price and anonymity, one out of three consumers are purchasing weight-loss products via online shopping malls.

  In line with the growing number of online shoppers using overseas sites, regulatory bodies need to strengthen supervision. Consumers appear to be able to easily purchase weight-loss products that contain banned drug substances, and furthermore, such weight-loss products are being imported and sold using SNS marketing (such as Kakao Talk and blogs).

  In order to prevent consumer safety accidents related to illegal weight-loss products, the KCA plans to request relevant government bodies (the Ministry of Food & Drug Safety and the Korea Customs Service) to make policy improvements, such as: ▲ strengthen management and supervision of weight-loss products sold on overseas online shopping malls, ▲ develop measures to block import and customs clearance of weight-loss products that were recalled in other countries.