SINGAPORE – More than 1.06 million units of illegal health products worth over $750,000 were seized in 2025, an increase of around 10 per cent from the previous year, said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on March 24.
Most of these products seized through ground operations were cough syrups (56 per cent), sexual enhancement medicines (19 per cent), and sedatives and painkillers (17 per cent), similar to the composition of illegal products seized in past years, said the HSA.
Apart from the products seized, more than 2,300 listings of illegal health products were removed from e-commerce sites and social media in 2025. The number of listings found and removed dropped from 7,190 in 2024.
Surveillance tools and automated bots were used to monitor the illegal listings, the HSA said.
Nearly 1,400 warnings were given to sellers for listing illegal products as varied as nasal aspirators, contact lenses, anti-hair loss and acne prescription products.
In 2024, most listings taken down involved sex enhancement drugs and contact lenses. The significant decrease in these listings in 2025 was down to intensified surveillance, the HSA said, but also after reports from consumers who experienced adverse effects from using those contact lenses.
GRAPHIC: HEALTH SCIENCES AUTHORITY
E-commerce sites Shopee and Lazada, and video-sharing app TikTok were the three online platforms where most of the illegal health product listings appeared, said the HSA.
The health authority said it collaborates with online platforms to remove such unlawful listings.
