Unauthorized products seized at Calgary retailer may pose serious health risks

Issue

Health Canada seized seventeen unauthorized health products from the retailer, Matrioshka Russian Delicatessen, in Calgary, Alberta. Two unauthorized products were labelled with prescription drug ingredients (captopril and sulfanilamide). The retailer was selling unauthorized health products with packaging labelled in Russian, Ukrainian or Kazakh languages only, with the exception of some ingredients which are listed in English. As a result, information about usage, dosage and side effects may not be understood by all consumers. Products that contain prescription drug ingredients should only be taken under the supervision of a health professional because they are used to treat specific diseases, and may cause serious side effects. The seized products have not been approved by Health Canada. This means that they have not been assessed for their safety, effectiveness and quality. As a result, they may contain ingredients not listed on the label, other additives and/or contaminated ingredients. In addition, they may lack the active ingredients Canadians would expect them to contain to help maintain and improve their health or other ingredients that may interact with other medications and foods. For all of these reasons, they could cause serious health effects.

What you should do

• Consult with your health-care professional if you have used any of these products and have health concerns.
• Read the product label. Health products that have been authorized for sale by Health Canada have an eight-digit DIN, a DIN-HM or a NPN.
• Verify that your health products have been authorized for sale by searching the Drug Product Database and the Licensed Natural Health Product Database.
• Report any adverse events to Health Canada
• Report complaints about health products to Health Canada by calling toll-free to 1-800-267-9675, or complete an online complaint form.