In anticipation of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Golden Week, the Department of Health (DH) has stepped up enforcement actions and inspections of "Authorized Sellers of Poisons" (commonly known as pharmacies) and "Listed Sellers of Poisons" (commonly known as medicine companies), with a focus on tourist hotspots. The DH reiterates that unregistered shops illegally displaying the official pharmacy logo or titles, or selling unregistered pharmaceutical products, commit a criminal offence punishable by a maximum fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment. Having completed around 5,800 inspections in the first half of this year and secured convictions against dozens of non-compliant companies and individuals over the past year, the DH will continue strict enforcement to safeguard public health.

To protect the rights and health of citizens and visitors, the DH reminded the public that all registered pharmaceutical products bear a Hong Kong registration number in the format of "HK-XXXXX" on their packaging. Members of the public can verify a shop's identity by scanning the pharmacy label's QR code via the "Licence Scanner" feature in the "eHealth" app, or by checking the list of licensed dealers on the DH Drug Office website. Furthermore, the DH has collaborated with relevant tourism authorities which include the TIC and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, to promote the "three Steps to Buying Medicine Wisely", strengthening public awareness that medicines of unknown origin or doubtful composition should not be purchased, so as to ensure medication safety.

Members of the public may visit the DH’s webpages for more information on the safety of buying and safe use of medicines, as well as relevant Government's press release.