The Consumer Council is joining hands with the Customs and Excise Department to publish the names of shops involved in selling counterfeit drugs in the Council's CHOICE magazine starting February this year.
The naming mechanism aims to alert consumers of the unscrupulous traders and the drugs involved. It also serves as a reminder to other drug stores that their shop names are at stake if they sell fake drugs.
Last year, there were 19 convicted cases of selling counterfeit drugs involving 18 shops. Among these shops, one was located on Hong Kong Island, 8 in Kowloon and 9 in the New Territories. One in the New Territories was charged for committing the same offence twice.
The 19 cases involved over 30 different drugs. The main offences involved were the applying of forged trademarks on drugs which were sold as genuine items, or the supplying of drugs with false trade descriptions, of which, the actual ingredients were inconsistent with the labelling.
It is a serious offence under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance to sell or supply for the purpose of trade goods bearing a forged trade mark or a false trade description. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of HK$500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
The Consumer Council reserves all its right (including copyright) in respect of CHOICE Magazine and Online CHOICE ( https://echoice.consumer.org.hk/ ).