Singapore's Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has removed 959 online listings of illegal health products in a two-week operation coordinated with Interpol. Over 82% of those listings were for unregistered contact lenses, marking a surge following a decline in such cases last year.
The operation also targeted prescription-only skin creams, sexual enhancement drugs, and oxygen concentrators. HSA issued warnings to 152 sellers and seized 6,641 units of illicit products at checkpoints, the majority intercepted via postal services.
Prescription painkillers and sedatives accounted for 36% of seized items, followed by ivermectin (30%) and dermal fillers (6%). HSA warned against self-medicating with ivermectin for COVID-19, citing local hospitalizations and severe side effects.
HSA also seized 110 boxes of pre-filled dermal filler syringes, warning that unregulated products pose risks of infection, scarring, and life-threatening reactions. Offenders face up to three years in jail and fines up to S$100,000.