DH steps up enforcement ahead of Mainland's Labour Day Golden Week to combat illegal use of pharmacy logos/titles and illegal sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products
With the Mainland's Labour Day Golden Week approaching, the Department of Health (DH) today (April 28) announced that it will further step up inspections of Authorized Sellers of Poisons (ASPs), commonly known as pharmacies, Listed Sellers of Poisons (LSPs), commonly known as medicine companies, and retailers of Chinese herbal medicines throughout Hong Kong, focusing on tourist areas to monitor their compliance with relevant laws and codes of practice. These inspections form part of the DH's routine year-round enforcement efforts. In the first quarter of 2026, around 4 500 such inspections were conducted. In response to the increased visitor numbers and business activities during the Mainland's Labour Day Golden Week, the DH will step up inspections to crack down on any violations.
Stepping up efforts to crack down on illegal use of pharmacy logo
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To address the illegal use of pharmacy logos and titles by shops, the DH reminded the public, including tourists, that they can use the pharmacy logo (see Annex 1) to verify whether a shop is a registered pharmacy when purchasing medicines in Hong Kong.
According to the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138) (the Ordinance), LSPs can only conduct the retail business of selling poisons listed in Part 2 of the Poisons List and sell only common drugs, such as cold and flu medicines. Such vendors do not have a registered duty pharmacist in the shop and cannot use the pharmacy logo or title.Displaying a pharmacy logo in the prescribed form, or a logo resembling the prescribed form, at premises other than a registered pharmacy, or using the Chinese term "" or terms such as "pharmacy", "dispensary" or "drugstore" in connection with any business engaged in the retail sale of poisons, constitutes an offence. Furthermore, illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons, or illegal sale of Part 2 poisons, is a criminal offence. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment.
Between April 2025 and March 2026, seven limited companies and one retail proprietor, none of which were registered pharmacies, were convicted of displaying logos on their premises that resembled the pharmacy logo in the prescribed form. They were fined amounts ranging from $3,500 to $32,000.During the same period, 24 limited companies and five individuals were convicted of illegal sale and/or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products. They were fined amounts ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 and sentenced to two months' imprisonment.
Clamping down on illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products and Chinese herbal medicines
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To tackle the illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products, Part 1 poisons, including anti-obesity drugs, and Chinese herbal medicines, the DH has been actively gathering intelligence through various channels (including online sales platforms, instant messaging apps, and social media), conducting proactive inspections and enforcing the law rigorously. Joint operations with relevant law enforcement departments will also be conducted when necessary.
A proprietor of a beauty parlour was convicted by the court for selling and possessing Part 1 poisons and unregistered pharmaceutical products, which involved an anti-obesity medicine containing liraglutide, and was sentenced on April 20 to a 120-hour Community Service Order for each charge, to be served concurrently. Over the past month, the DH took enforcement actions against the premises of two unlicensed medicine shops for the illegal use of pharmacy logos, the illegal possession of Part 1 Poisons and unregistered pharmaceutical products, as well as the illegal sale of Part 2 Poisons, and against three ASPs for the illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products and failing to store Part 1 Poisons in a locked receptacle, among others. During the operation, over 100 items of controlled drugs were seized from the premises.
In addition, between April 2025 and March 2026, two cases involving the illegal sale or possession of Chinese herbal medicines listed in Schedule 2 of the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Cap. 549) were convicted by the court.
The DH reminded the public that illegal sale of medicines controlled under the Ordinance, regardless of the sales channel, including online sales platforms, instant messaging applications or social media, incurs criminal liability. Members of the public should not risk breaking the law.
Points to note when purchasing medicines
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The DH remindedmembers of the public that all registered pharmaceutical products and proprietary Chinese medicines carry a Hong Kong registration number on their packaging. Registered pharmaceutical products are labelled with a number in the format of "HK-XXXXX", while registered proprietary Chinese medicines follow the format "HKC-XXXXX" (where "XXXXX" is a five-digit number). The safety, quality and efficacy of unregistered pharmaceutical products and unregistered proprietary Chinese medicines are not guaranteed. Members of the public should not self-purchaseor consume products of doubtful composition or from unknown sources. Self-purchasing controlled medicines (including anti-obesity drugs such as liraglutide) poses health risks. Besides the lack of a doctor's assessment of an individual's health condition, it is difficult to ascertain the legitimate source of the drugs. It is also impossible to know whether the drugs were properly stored during transportation (especially for drugs requiring cold-chain storage). This leaves their safety, quality and efficacy unguaranteed. Anti-obesity medicines containing liraglutide should be used under a doctor's direction and must be supplied on the premises of a pharmacy under the supervision of a registered pharmacist upon a doctor's prescription.
To help the public identify registered pharmacies, the DH has formulated a label (Annex 2) for identification of ASPs. The labels have been sent to each registered pharmacy for display at a conspicuous place on their premises. Consumers can obtain information on the registered pharmacy by scanning the QR code on the label displayed in the pharmacy.
Members of the public and tourists can also download the eHealth app from the website (app.ehealth.gov.hk) and use the "Licence Scanner" on its homepage to scan the QR code displayed at the pharmacy. For registered pharmacies, the message "This is a QR Code issued for licensed pharmacy" will be shown, alongside details of that particular registered pharmacy. For retailers of Chinese Herbal Medicines, licence holders must display their licence, which bears a QR code, at a conspicuous position in their business premises. Members of the public can scan the QR code to access the website of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong (the Council) and view the relevant licence information.<br /
Members of the public can also visit thewebsiteof the Drug Office of the DH for names and addresses of all licensees including ASPs. For retailers of Chinese herbal medicines, members of the public can visit the website of the Council for names and addresses of all retailers of Chinese herbal medicines.
In addition, to help Mainland visitors distinguish pharmacies in Hong Kong, the DH has provided detailed information on its official WeChat account regarding important points to note when purchasing medicines in Hong Kong.
For more information on the safety of buying and safe use of medicines, please visit the website of the DH's Drug Office.
With the Mainland's Labour Day Golden Week approaching, the Department of Health (DH) will step up inspections of pharmacies, medicine companies and retailers of Chinese herbal medicines throughout Hong Kong, focusing on tourist areas to monitor their compliance with relevant laws and codes of practice. Photo shows DH staff members conducting inspections at a pharmacy. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
