A consumer rights academic has called on the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to adopt tougher measures to end sales of illegal weight-loss supplements, following the death of a pharmacist in Khon Kaen on Thursday.
Sathaporn Arakwatana, an academic at the Foundation for Consumers (FFC), demanded the FDA crack down on the selling and advertising of products that contain banned ingredients.
Ms Sathaporn also called on state agencies to go after producers and retailers of such dietary goods.
The move came after a pharmacist at a hospital in Khon Kaen died of cardiac arrest on Nov 24 after she developed seizures and collapsed.
Sompong Jarungjittanuson, a physician at Khon Kaen provincial public health office, said the woman's death is thought to be linked to a dietary supplement called "Mang Luk Power Slim" she had been taking, which her relatives later found at her house.
There has been no official confirmation the supplement was the cause of her death, yet social media users panicked as the news went viral.
Mang Luk is widely available in Khon Kaen, with many local health personnel found to be selling it.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned and warned consumer "not to purchase or use" Mang Luk Power Slim because of serious health risks.
It contains sibutramine, a substance that is banned in Thailand, Ms Sathaporn said.
She called on the FDA to provide a list of dangerous products that pose health risks for consumers.
Ms Sathaporn also demanded the Office of the Consumer Protection Board strictly enforce the banning of dangerous products under Section 36 of the Consumer Protection Act 2013 when a product is proven to be unsafe for consumers.
She said the FFC will report the case to the Technology Crime Suppression Division to take legal action against websites selling illegal products including this one.
Publishing false information online that can cause damage to people's health violates the Computer Crime Act 2007 and carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to 100,000 baht or both, she said.
Prapon Angtakul, FDA deputy secretary-general, said sibutramine is mainly found in pharmaceuticals.
It was withdrawn from the commercial market because of its serious health risks, he said.
Any product which includes sibutramine as an ingredient is considered illegal, he added.
The substance is often smuggled via northern, northeastern and eastern border provinces such as Sa Kaeo and Chiang Rai into the country, he said.
Mang Luk Power Slim, which comes in red and white capsules and can be purchased on the site Asianskin products.com for US$15 (534 baht) where it is marketed as being made from natural herbs, is not a registered FDA-approved product, Mr Prapon said.
He said the FDA has warned of dietary supplements containing sibutramine being marketed in Thailand.
Apart from Mang Luk Power Slim, the FDA has found a range of products containing the substance over the past few years, he said.
The FDA is examining where the supplement was produced and by whom as it widens its investigation.