Public advisory - Unauthorized health products seized from Vanette Keast Health Consulting in Red Deer, Alberta may pose serious health risks

OTTAWA, ON, April 9, 2024 /CNW/ -

Summary

• Product: Unauthorized health products labelled to contain prescription, controlled or other drug ingredients
• Issue: Health products ? Product safety; Unauthorized product
• What to do: Do not use these products. Consult a health care professional if you have used any of these products and have health concerns. Read product labels to verify that health products have been authorized for sale by Health Canada. Only buy prescription drugs from licensed pharmacies. Return products to your local pharmacy for proper disposal.

Affected products

Health Canada is warning consumers about multiple unauthorized health products seized from Vanette Keast Health Consulting in Red Deer, Alberta, after the Department was informed that the company was importing unauthorized prescription drugs. The seized products are labelled to contain prescription, controlled or other drug ingredients, and may pose serious health risks. The products are promoted for various uses, including as treatments for diabetes, parasites or hypothyroidism. One product is a drink mix that contains sodium chlorite, which may pose serious health risks if ingested.

Selling unauthorized health products in Canada is illegal. Unauthorized health products have not been approved by Health Canada, which means that they have not been assessed for safety, efficacy and quality and may pose a range of serious health risks. For example, they could contain high-risk ingredients, such as prescription drugs, additives or contaminants that may or may not be listed on the label. These ingredients could interact with other medications and foods. In addition, these products may not actually contain the active ingredients that consumers would expect them to contain to help maintain and improve their health.

Prescription drugs should only be used under the advice and supervision of a health care professional because they are used to treat specific conditions and may cause serious side effects. Prescription drugs can only be legally sold to consumers in Canada with a prescription.

What you should do

• Do not use these products. Consult a health care professional if you have used any of these products and have health concerns.
• Buy your prescription drugs only from licensed pharmacies. Return the products to your local pharmacy for proper disposal.
• Buy only authorized health products. Read product labels to verify that health products have been authorized for sale by Health Canada. Authorized health products have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Drug Number (DIN-HM). You can also check whether products have been authorized for sale by searching Health Canada's Drug Product Database and Licensed Natural Health Product Database.
• Report any health product-related side effects or complaints to Health Canada.

DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a controlled substance regulated under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that can cause higher-than-normal levels of female and male hormones in the body and could increase the risk of prostate, breast, ovarian and other hormone-sensitive cancers. Potential side effects include serious cardiovascular disease, and changes in fertility and sperm production. DHEA should be avoided by individuals with a history of abnormal heart rhythms, blood clotting disorders, liver disease and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Estriol is a type of estrogen that has not been authorized in Canada. Drug products containing estrogens should not be used in patients allergic to estrogens, patients with endometrial hyperplasia (thickening of the uterine lining), unexplained vaginal bleeding, hormone-dependent cancers (including a history of breast cancer), clotting disorders, heart or liver disorders, migraines, or in pregnant people. The use of drug products containing estrogens might cause serious side effects including abnormal vaginal bleeding, blood clots in the veins of the legs or lungs, cancers in the breast or uterus, strokes or heart attack.

Ivermectin is a prescription drug used to treat certain parasitic worm infections. Ivermectin can be associated with serious side effects, particularly if taken at high doses. These side effects include low blood pressure, dizziness, severe allergic reactions, worsening of asthma, liver problems, and decreased alertness including coma.

Levothyroxine sodium is a prescription drug which is commonly used to treat hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. Levothyroxine products should not be used by patients allergic to levothyroxine, patients with adrenal glands not producing enough of the hormone cortisol, those whose thyroid gland produces too much thyroxine, and patients with a recent heart attack or heart inflammation. Pregnant people should not use levothyroxine unless recommended by a physician. Levothyroxine products can cause serious or life-threatening side effects, including fast or irregular heart beats and respiratory difficulty, and patients with previous heart diseases, high blood pressure, and older patients are more at risk. Levels of levothyroxine in the blood can quickly rise to toxic levels, which can occur even faster if the patient is already taking certain other medicines. Levothyroxine should not be used to lose weight or to treat obesity.

Mebendazole is a prescription drug used to treat certain parasitic worm infections. Mebendazole can be associated with serious side effects, particularly if taken at high doses. These side effects include severe allergic reactions, blood, liver and kidney disorders, and seizures. Use of mebendazole should be avoided in infants, patients who are pregnant, and patients taking drugs containing metronidazole.

Metformin hydrochloride is a prescription drug which is used to treat type 2 diabetes. Metformin should not be used in patients who have insulin-dependent diabetes, also known as Type I diabetes, patients with renal insufficiency or liver disease, those who have had a diagnosis of lactic acidosis (too much lactic acid in the blood), patients who abuse alcohol, patients with severe dehydration, or those experiencing stress conditions (including infection, trauma). Metformin should not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding people, unless recommended by their doctor. This drug should not be taken if the patient is undergoing surgery or having an X-ray procedure with dye injected into a vein. Metformin might cause side effects, especially diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and a life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis, which is characterized by low body temperature, low blood pressure, and slow heart rate.

Progesterone is a prescription drug and can be associated with serious side effects, particularly in patients at risk of blood clots or patients with hormone-dependent cancers. Progesterone may also affect liver function and/or glucose tolerance. Patients who are also taking oral progesterone-containing medications (such as birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy) may be at an increased risk due to effects of the combined progesterone exposure in the body. For topical progesterone products, health risks may arise after long-term use.

Sodium Chlorite is commonly used for bleaching textiles, pulp and paper, surface disinfectant and for water treatment. No health products containing sodium chlorite have been approved by Health Canada for human consumption. Ingesting sodium chlorite may cause serious health problems including poisoning, kidney failure and harm to red blood cells that reduces the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. Additional health problems may also include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

SOURCE Health Canada (HC)