Lawmaker Warns Of Spurious HPV Vaccine In HK

DAB lawmaker Ann Chiang said on Friday that she had received around 30 complaints over spurious HPV vaccines, as an American multinational warned that products made by some unregistered firms are circulating in the Hong Kong market.

Chiang said the complaints involved seven clinics across the city.

She said she thinks this is a very serious problem, and she has forwarded the complaints to the Department of Health. The lawmaker said she will meet officials next week to discuss the issue.

Chiang said some of the complainants said they developed rashes after getting the jabs. Some also took pictures of the vaccines, and found that the serial numbers on the jabs were different to those on the boxes.

This comes as American pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co took out advertisements in Hong Kong newspapers, expressing concern that there are HPV vaccines that aren't registered with the authorities available in the market.

The company said it couldn't vouch for the quality of the vaccines.

The manufacturer said it can't find out where the products came from and how they were stored, and whether they could affect people's health.

Earlier, reports had said vaccines for cervical cancer are also being brought in from other places and sold locally by some people.