Public advisory - Unauthorized health products sold online and seized at Rize Fitness may pose serious health risks

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 24, 2025 /CNW/ - 

Summary

• Product: Unauthorized drugs, including injectable peptides and controlled drugs
• Issue: Health products – Unauthorized product; Product safety
• What to do: Do not use these products. Consult a licensed health care professional if you have used these products and have health concerns. Do not buy or use unauthorized drugs. Only buy prescription drugs from licensed pharmacies.

Affected products

Unauthorized health products seized from Rize Fitness (188 Smithe St, Vancouver, BC) and sold online, including:

Issue

Health Canada is warning consumers about multiple unauthorized health products seized from Rize Fitness located at 188 Smithe Street, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and sold through the website phxlab.net. Health Canada has not authorized any of the products that were seized or sold on the website, which means that they have not been assessed for safety, efficacy, and quality. Selling unauthorized health products in Canada is illegal. At Health Canada's request, the company has stopped advertising and selling unauthorized health products, including taking down its website.

The seized products are labeled to contain prescription, controlled, or other drug ingredients and many are in injectable form. The products include injectable peptides and testosterone compounds, often used for bodybuilding, anti-aging, enhancing athletic performance or weight loss. Many injectable peptides are regulated as prescription drugs in Canada.

Unauthorized drugs may:

• Interact with other medications an individual might be taking.
• Contain high-risk ingredients, additives, or contaminants that may or may not be listed on the label.
• Not have been manufactured or stored safely.

Prescription drugs should only be used under the care of a healthcare professional because they are used to treat specific conditions and may cause serious side effects. Injectable unauthorized drugs carry additional risks, including infections, allergic reactions, and other serious adverse outcomes due to contamination, improper handling, or unsafe administration.

Should additional safety concerns be identified, Health Canada will take appropriate action to protect public health and safety, including communicating updates, if needed.

What you should do

• Do not use these products. Consult a health care professional if you have used unauthorized health products and have health concerns.
• Only buy prescription drugs from licensed pharmacies.
• Do not buy or use unauthorized drugs. Read product labels to confirm a product has been authorized for sale by Health Canada. Authorized health products have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Drug Number (DIN-HM). You can also check whether products have been authorized for sale by searching Health Canada's Drug Product Database and Licensed Natural Health Product Database.
• Follow municipal or regional guidelines on disposing chemicals and other hazardous waste or return the product to your local pharmacy for proper disposal.
• Report any health product-related side effects or complaints to Health Canada.
• Learn more about buying health products safely:
  • Buying drugs over the Internet
  • Adulteration of natural health products
  • Risks of buying natural health products online
  • The safe use of health products for weight loss
  • Safe Use of Bodybuilding Products - Canada.ca

Additional information

Background

In addition to the general information above, Health Canada is providing additional safety information for certain products to provide consumers with more information about the risks they may be exposed to when taking unauthorized health products purchased from Rize Fitness and from the phxlab.net website. 

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a controlled substance regulated under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. It can cause higher-than-normal levels of female and male hormones in the body and could increase the risk of prostate, breast and other hormone-sensitive cancers. Potential side effects include serious cardiovascular disease, and changes in fertility and sperm production. DHEA might cause acne and male-pattern hair growth in women (hirsutism). DHEA should be avoided by individuals with a history of abnormal heart rhythms, blood clotting disorders, liver disease, have known or suspected hormone-dependent cancers, have a history of hormone-sensitive disorders unless under medical supervision, and during pregnancy or breastfeeding. DHEA also might worsen psychiatric disorders and increase the risk of mania in people who have mood disorders due to drug interactions with antipsychotics and other mood disorder medications. Unauthorized DHEA products have not been evaluated by Health Canada and may pose serious safety risks. 

Semaglutide is available by prescription only in Canada and can be in found in either injectable form or as an oral tablet. Semaglutide is generally well tolerated, but it can be associated with significant risks, which include gastrointestinal side effects, pancreatitis, worsening kidney function, hypoglycemia (when combined with other diabetes drugs), potential thyroid tumours, diabetic retinopathy complications, hypersensitivity reactions, and delayed gastric emptying that may pose risks if the patient is undergoing a procedure which requires sedation.

Testosterone compounds, such as testosterone propionate, testosterone phenylpropionate, testosterone isocaproate, testosterone canoate, testosterone enanthate, and testosterone decanoate, are synthetic anabolic steroids. They have been linked to many significant health risks, some of which are permanent and even fatal. These compounds can cause serious side effects, including heart problems, fluid retention, mood changes, sleep and breathing issues, kidney damage, digestive upset, muscle and joint pain, and high blood fat levels. In men, they may lead to infertility, reduced testicle size, breast enlargement, and prostate issues. In women, they may cause male characteristics such as facial hair, a deeper voice, and hair loss. In children, they can disrupt normal growth and puberty. Accidental exposure in children can cause early sexual development. They may also be habit-forming. These compounds should not be used by people with cancer, heart or kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or a history of stroke or blood clots, and they must not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

SOURCE Health Canada (HC)