The Hong Kong Health Dept is warning people to completely avoid using the diet treatment called 'Super-Fat-Burning. After testing the pills were shown to contain  a compound that can cause dangerous side effects.  The compound in question is sibutramine which works as an appetite suppressant. It is only allowed to used with doctor's advice and prescription and also must be sold with a pharmacist approval, as it can cause high blood pressure and a quickening heart rate.

The Health Dept said that all products that have sibutramine inside must apply to be given permission to be sold. The health officials warned that anyone who has started using the drug must stop staright away as the health risks have not been evaluated sufficiently. Medical advice must be sought if you feel sick.

Because the diet pills were unregistered with the Pharmacy and Poison Ordinance the Health Dept. was within its rights to impound all the unsold bottles of the drug. The police are looking into the matter.

The general advice is to throw away the remaining product in the rubbish bin or so hand in the pills to a Public Health Centre. The law in Hong Kong stipulates a fine of 100,000 dollars and as much as 2 years prison for the possession or sale of unlicenced drugs.