An unregistered “anti-cancer” vaccine was allegedly offered to mainland Chinese clients for HK$120,000 for three shots at a Tsim Sha Tsui medical center, according to a former employee.
The former employee, identified as Mary, told Sing Tao Probe, a sister publication of The Standard, that several to more than 10 mainland clients visited the center daily, with many being cancer survivors worried about a relapse.
She said clients were usually advised to receive three shots for HK$120,000, while a single shot could cost HK$46,000.
Mary also claimed mainland agents with no medical background helped promote the vaccine on Xiaohongshu and Douyin.
An undercover reporter later contacted an agent posing as a mainland client. The agent claimed the vaccine could prevent cancer, boost immunity and was completely legal in Hong Kong.
She arranged for the reporter to visit a clinic on Mody Road, where a woman admitted that the vaccine was not registered in Hong Kong and had been brought directly from Japan.
The woman said the manufacturer claimed the vaccine was 80 percent effective but declined to guarantee its effectiveness. She nevertheless said it was safe and would not harm the body even if it proved ineffective.
The reporter left without receiving the injection.
Mary also claimed clients were sometimes moved to another clinic by car when too many people gathered at the medical center.
According to Companies Registry records, the center began operating in April and has one mainland Chinese director.
After being contacted by the Department of Health, staff at the medical center and the Mody Road clinic denied helping clients receive the vaccine. Staff also denied knowing the woman who had met the undercover reporter.
The Department of Health said it was taking the matter seriously and had conducted multiple inspections. No unregistered pharmaceutical products or other irregularities had been found so far, it said.
According to Department of Health records, the WT1 vaccine is an unregistered pharmaceutical product.
Anyone convicted of illegally selling or possessing an unregistered pharmaceutical product faces a maximum fine of HK$100,000 and two years in prison.
