Foreign Product Alert: Hairegenerator

Starting date:

February 18, 2014

Posting date:

February 18, 2014

Type of communication:

Foreign Product Alert (FPA)

Subcategory:

Drugs

Source of recall:

Health Canada

Source of alert:

Hong Kong Department of Health

Issue:

Undeclared Substance

Audience:

General Public

Identification number:

RA-37983

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Introduction

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

Affected products

• Hairegenerator

Hairegenerator

Product description

This product is promoted for the treatment of hair loss.

Hazard identified

The Hong Kong Department of Health warned consumers not to use this product after samples of the product were found to exceed the permissible limit for mercury. The level of mercury exceeds Health Canada's acceptable limits as well.

Ingestion of excessive amounts of heavy metals such as mercury poses serious health risks because the metals may accumulate in vital organs of the body. Children are most susceptible to the toxic effects.

Place of origin

According to the product packaging, the product is manufactured by Hang Cheong Lung Pharmaceutical Limited.

Side effects

The toxic effects of mercury include irritability, tremors, memory loss, insomnia, concentration problems, and kidney and brain damage.

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 the product listed above in the Canadian marketplace.

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

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 January 31, 2014, no adverse reactions suspected to be associated with the use of this products 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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