Criminals peddle illegal slimming drug on Internet

Email spam from a criminal organization is being blamed for a spike in the sale over the Internet of an illegal and potentially dangerous slimming drug to Swiss customers, authorities say.

Swissmedic, the national agency authorizing therapeutic products, and the federal customs administration on Wednesday issued a warning about a product called LiDa Daidaihua.

A record number of mail-ordered shipments of the illegal drug, manufactured in China, were intercepted by customs in the first half of the year, following an Internet marketing campaign directed from Europe, said Swissmedic spokeswoman Ruth Mosimann.

“A lot of spams were leading to a website making offers in German, really geared to Swiss customers,” Mosimann told Swisster.

“A criminal organization is behind this site, based in Europe,” she said.

The shipments are a health concern because LiDa Daidaihua contains an “excessive amount” of the active substance Sibutramine, amounting to 150 percent of the maximum safe daily dose, Swissmedic said in its warning.

“Taking this substance in such quantities, without medical supervision, represents a serious danger to the consumer’s health,” the agency said.

In fact, medicines containing Sibutramine are no longer permitted in Switzerland or the European Union because of possible heart and circulatory complications.

“The most frequent side effects of Sibutramine also include headaches, tachycardia (racing heart), increased blood pressure, constipation and insomnia," Swissmedic said.

Sold in capsules in expensive-looking packaging, the slimming product is falsely advertised as a 100 percent natural, herbal product, Mosimann said.

This is completely untrue, she said.

“It’s manufactured in China with very low costs and no standards.”

A multilingual LiDa Daidaihua website openly advertises the drug in English as the “most powerful product to suppress appetite and lose weight.”

The website says users can normally shed five to 10 pounds a month, while lowering cholesterol, improving liver functions and regulating bowel activity.

The fine print mentions the drug is not recommended for pregnant women or people over the age of 60.

The website advertises boxes of 30 capsules for 22.99 dollars, with shipments of 100 boxes priced at 699 dollars.

Mosimann said an investigation is under way to track down the peddlers of the illegal drug.

The product is just the latest of a series of illegal medicinal products being ordered in Switzerland through the Internet.

Swiss customs is tracking them down in cooperation with Swiss Post.

In the first six months of 2009, Swissmedic said it received reports on 992 suspicious potentially illegal imports of medicine from customs authorities, a 75 percent increase from the previous year.

Almost a third of the products seized (31 percent) were erectile stimulants, similar to Viagara.

Slimming products accounted for 26 percent of seizures, up from 14 percent a year earlier, largely because of the LiDa Daidaihua product.

Other seized drugs included prescription-only hair growth treatments (six percent), muscle-building products (five percent) and potentially addictive medicines, such as sleeping pills (five percent).

Almost half (45 percent) of the seized drugs came from India, while 35 percent came from western Europe and six percent from parts of Asia outside of India.

Mosimann said the stimulants for erectile dysfunction are similar to Viagara, but such drugs need to be prescribed by doctors.

“Without a prescription from a physician there’s a risk of heart problems,” she said.

The illegal versions being imported again falsely claim again to be herbal remedies.

In January, Swissmedic issued a warning about harmful drugs using testosterone and steroids, sold through fitness and bodybuilding websites, which can cause organ damage and impotence.

Mosimann acknowledged that some consumers in Switzerland may not realize that drugs they are ordering on the Intermet are illegal.

That’s part of the reason Swissmedic is launching a public awareness campaign.

Under Swiss law it is an offence to import illegal drugs in large quantities, but a distinction is made for consumers who order small quantities for month.

Normally, in cases where illegal medicinal drugs are seized, those who ordered them are sent a warning letter, which allows them to provide an explanation.

A second letter then goes out to the importer billing him or her for the cost of destroying the drugs.

“It is a considerable amount, we charge about 300 francs,” Mosimann said.