A man was arrested on 30 March 2015 in a joint operation by the Department of Health and the Police for illegal sale of unregistered drugs containing the steroid oxandrolone, a Part I poison. It was found that injectable and oral drugs labelled as containing oxandrolone were being offered for sale to bodybuilders through the Internet.

Oxandrolone is a steroid with androgenic activity, prohibited in sports at all times. Its side effects include oedema, hypercalcaemia, headache, depression, irritability and gastrointestinal bleeding. It may also cause acute liver failure.

Illegal sale and possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products and Part I poisons are criminal offences under the law of Hong Kong. The maximum penalty for each offence is a fine of $100,000 and two years’ imprisonment.