How to spot if you picked up a counterfeit COVID-19 rapid test
Health Canada is warning the public about counterfeit rapid antigen test kits after several were sold in Ontario.
In an advisory on Friday, the federal health agency said the counterfeit products resembled BTNX Inc.'s 25-pack Rapid Response COVID-19 antigen rapid test kits in colour and lettering.
Health Canada said the fake kits were sold online by Healthful Plus, which did not have the required licence to import, distribute or sell medical devices in the country.
The fake test kits also had BTNX's device identifier' COV-19C25.'
Health Canada said the counterfeit kits have a label in front that reads "Health Advance Inc." instead of BTNX. They also have a label with Health Advance as the "Official Canadian Distributor" and have a text that reads "Health Canada Approved."
"The safety and effectiveness of these counterfeit kits have not been assessed by Health Canada," the advisory stated, adding that the agency has contacted BTNX and confirmed that these kits are fake.
"Based on information to date, the issue appears to be limited to one manufacturer, Health Advance Inc., and one distributor, Healthful Plus. Health Advance Inc. appears to no longer be manufacturing medical devices and Healthful Plus's website has been removed and the company appears to no longer be in operation."
Health Canada said the person who purchased the products had confirmed that the kits were for personal use and that all 435 boxes of the 25-pack test kits had been sent to the agency for compliance follow-up.
"Heath Canada is informing the provinces and territories about this issue, as well as Medical Device Establishment License holders, advising them to not purchase from the two companies or further distribute," the advisory stated.
Health Canada noted that there is no evidence to suggest that counterfeit kits have been distributed elsewhere in the country.
Those who purchased test kits from Health Advance Inc. or Healthful Plus are asked not to use them, dispose of them, and report them to the agency.
They can also report it to BTNX Inc. by calling toll-free at 1-888-339-9964 or emailing covid19@btnx.com with the subject line "Suspected Counterfeit BTNX Tests."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.’s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease’s progression.
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Canucks' Soucy suspended 1 game, Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosschecks on McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been suspended for a game and another was handed a hefty fine after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sues for defamation over National Enquirer, InTouch Weekly stories
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed that she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents.