{
  "id": 1659030,
  "title": "Drug stores urged to change ways as grouses top 1,000",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/drug-stores-urged-to-change-ways-as-grouses-top-1-000",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-18T06:37:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTHK News",
    "slug": "rthk-news",
    "url": "https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1866567-20260818.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Consumer Council is urging drug and supplement stores to address questionable sales tactics following a sharp increase in complaints. As of the first seven months of the year, the number of complaints against such products rose 50.6 percent compared to the same period last year, reaching 1,190. One such complaint involved a tourist whose purchased goods were allegedly switched with counterfeit products upon his return to the city. Another incident involved a product billed at HK$140 but discovered to have been ground into powder, costing 160 times more at HK$22,400. Consumer Council chief Alaina Shum advised shoppers to verify pricing details and unit of measurement before purchasing, and to confirm total costs before having medication processed. Sellers should, Shum said, be transparent about pricing and any price changes, and not withhold information about product shortages. An online platform for handling cross-border consumer disputes is set to launch on October 1 to help protect shoppers. The Consumer Council is also upgrading its complaint management system to streamline cross-border dispute handling and sharing case progress with partner councils.",
  "summary": "The Consumer Council has urged medicine and supplement stores to rectify unscrupulous sales practices amid a surge in adverse reactions. The call came as it revealed on Tuesday that the number of complaints against medicine and supplement products recorded in the first seven months of the year jumped 50.6 percent year on year to 1,190. In one case, a tourist turned to the council for assistance…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "RTHK English",
        "title": "Drug stores urged to change ways as grouses top 1,000",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/drug-stores-urged-to-change-ways-as-grouses-top-1-000-1659602",
        "published": "2026-08-18T06:37:59.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}