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Foreign Product Alerts: BONJOUR, CURVY Pearl Beauty slimming orange juice, VTOX Trim Up, and V12 Fruit Slimming

Report a Concern
Starting date:
February 7, 2014
Posting date:
February 7, 2014
Type of communication:
Foreign Product Alert (FPA)
Subcategory:
Natural health products
Source of recall:
Health Canada
Source of alert:

Singapore Health Sciences Authority

Issue:
Undeclared Substance
Audience:
General Public
Identification number:
RA-37713

Introduction

These products are not authorized for sale in Canada and have not been found in the Canadian marketplace, but it is possible they may have been brought into the country by travellers or purchased over the Internet.

Affected products

  • BONJOUR
  • CURVY Pearl Beauty slimming orange juice
  • VTOX Trim Up
  • V12 Fruit Slimming

BONJOUR, CURVY Pearl Beauty slimming orange juice, VTOX Trim Up, and V12 Fruit Slimming

Product description

These products are promoted for weight loss.

Hazard identified

The Singapore Health Sciences Authority warned consumers not to use these products after they were found to contain sibutramine, a drug ingredient that was not declared on the labels.

  • Sibutramine was previously used to treat obesity but is no longer authorized for sale in Canada because of its association with an increased risk of cardiovascular side effects such as heart attack and stroke.

Place of origin

Unknown

Side effects

In addition to heart attack and stroke, side effects associated with sibutramine include increased blood pressure and heart rate, dry mouth, difficulty sleeping and constipation.

What you should do

Health Canada advises Canadians to contact the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate at 1-800-267-9675 if they find any of the products listed above in the Canadian marketplace.

Canadians who have these products are advised not to use them, and should consult with a healthcare professional if they have concerns about their health related to the use of these products.

Background

Drugs and natural health products that are authorized for sale in Canada will have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label. These numbers indicate that the products have been assessed by Health Canada for safety, effectiveness and quality.

As of December 31, 2013, no adverse reactions suspected to be associated with the use of this product have been reported to Health Canada.

Report a health or safety concern

To report a side effect to a health product to Health Canada:

  • Call toll-free at 1-866-234-2345
  • Visit Health Canada's Web page on Adverse Reaction Reporting for information on how to report online, by mail or by fax

Images

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CURVY Pearl Beauty slimming orange juice, BONJOUR, V12 Fruit Slimming, and VTOX Trim Up