HSA, Singapore is alerts members of the public not to purchase or use ‘Tao Ju Hui Yi Mei Li Shang Kou Hu Li Ruan Gao’, which led to symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome.
Singapore: A four-year-old child was taken to the hospital to seek treatment for upper respiratory tract infection and was found to have symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome such as a “moon” face, excessive hair growth on the body and thinning of skin. The child’s parents had been using ‘Tao Ju Hui Yi Mei Li Shang Kou Hu Li Ruan Gao’ on the child regularly for rash over the past 4 months. They had purchased the product from a local peddler at a makeshift stall in Eunos.
According to The Health Sciences Authority (HSA), the syndrome is a serious medical condition caused by prolonged use of steroids in a child. HSA’s analysis of this product revealed that it contained four potent medicinal ingredients including two steroids.
HSA’s checks found that ‘Tao Ju Hui Yi Mei Li Shang Kou Hu Li Ruan Gao’ was also sold on local e-commerce platforms (Shopee, Lazada), Facebook, and a website called “Feili Health House” (feilihealthhouse.online). HSA has worked with the local e-commerce platform administrators and Facebook to remove the affected product listings. The makeshift stall in Eunos is no longer in operation. HSA is currently investigating the website “Feili Health House”.
The product was marketed online as a “baby cream”, and was labelled to be “used for the care of small wounds, cuts and abrasion” and “acts as a physical barrier by forming a protective layer on the wound surface”. The product was also falsely labelled to “contain ingredients that cannot be absorbed by the body” and that the “ingredients contained have no medicinal effects”. On the contrary, HSA detected chloramphenicol (antibiotic), clobetasol propionate and dexamethasone (steroids), and ketoconazole (antifungal) in the cream. These ingredients can pose serious health risks, especially in children, if used without medical supervision.
HSA would like to reiterate the dangers of purchasing health products from unknown sources, especially for use in babies and children as they are at higher risk of experiencing adverse effects from undeclared potent ingredients. In 2022, HSA detected potent ingredients including steroids in two other topical products marketed for young children. These are ‘Star Cream’ and ‘Jolicare’, with the use of ‘Star Cream’ leading to steroid toxicity in a four-month-old infant.
Image: HSA, Singapore