Counterfeit CIBA Vision Freshlook ColorBlends were seized from five optical stores in Singapore by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) in what is described as the first known case of counterfeit health products found with legitimate suppliers.
CIBA said this was the first time its lenses had been counterfeited and that it was alerted to the counterfeiting when some shops tried to exchange the products.
The fakes, some 100 boxes, were described by Singapore News as looking almost authentic apart from typographical errors on the packaging. Lab tests found them to be very different, with the colour pigments found on the internal surface of the lens rather than the external surface.
HSA lab tests also discovered that the storage liquid was not sterile and was contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. One consumer had already reported extreme discomfort when she tried to wear the counterfeit lenses.
The Authority said that previous cases of counterfeit health products were largely confined to the black market or internet, and were mostly lifestyle drugs such as Viagra. It added that it was unclear if the five practices being investigated knew the product was counterfeit, but they were 'knowingly not buying from an authorised dealer'.
In a Facebook statement CIBA said that only ColorBlends had been targeted and it viewed counterfeiting as a very serious offence.
'As any brand or product globally is susceptible to such counterfeiting, CIBA Vision urges all our fans and consumers to be vigilant in their purchases, regardless of brand or origin of product. CIBA Vision will continue to incorporate security features in our products and continue to implement new methods and technologies to keep ahead of counterfeiters and protect consumers, such as how these have enabled us to proactively report the presence of counterfeit lenses to HSA.'