Surge in unlicensed pharmacies sparks concern among industry and mainland tourists

A recent surge in unlicensed pharmacies imitating the decoration design of pharmacies and using signs resembling the "Rx" logo to solicit business has raised concerns.

With more mainland travelers visiting Hong Kong, several posts on Xiaohongshu revealed the sales of counterfeit products in local drug retailers.

The presence of fraudulent pharmacies raises questions about whether tourists can distinguish between registered and unlicensed medicine stores.

A total of 640 pharmacies and licensed medicine stores are allowed to display the "Rx" logo, which indicates that the pharmacies are approved by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong and staffed by pharmacists who can sell prescription drugs. 

The licensed drug retailers typically only sell general over-the-counter medicines. 

However, shops imitating the "Rx" logo have reappeared recently, often altering the logo to resemble Chinese characters for "medicine" or "genuine" goods.

Cheung Tak-wing, the vice chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Pharmacy Limited, explained that the fraudulent stores take advantage of the business registration to mislead the public into thinking they are legitimate.

The industry is concerned that such unfair trade practices could tarnish its reputation. Cheung added such deceptive practices would significantly reduce mainland citizens' trust in Hong Kong's pharmacy industry. 

Six non-pharmacy companies and one non-pharmacy retail store owner were convicted and fined for displaying signs closely resembling official pharmacy logos last year, the Department of Health said.