The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday recalled 12 types of traditional Chinese medicine produced by Tainan-based Juang Chuen Ren Biotechnology Pharmaceutical Co (莊春仁生物科技製藥), while it is being investigated for allegedly manufacturing counterfeit drugs.
The Tainan Public Health Bureau and the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau conducted an inspection of Juang Chuen Ren and found that medicine was being manufactured in a food factory, the Department of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy said in a statement.
The medicine was also found to contain an unknown powder, and the company is suspected of contravening Article 82 of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法), the department said.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Department of Health
Article 82 covers penalties for those suspected of manufacturing or importing counterfeit or prohibited drugs.
The act stipulates that the penalty for manufacturing counterfeit drugs is up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to NT$100 million (US$3.1 million), department section chief Shih Hui-chuan (施惠娟) said.
The health ministry has ordered that 12 products be removed from shelves and is recalling all products that have already been sold or are still in stock.
The products being recalled are Juang Chuen Ren Guey Fuh Dih Huang Wan (桂附地黃丸), Ren Tsan Guh Chyuan Pills (人參固泉丸), Lih Daan Bao Gan Wan (利膽保肝丸), Zi Yun Gao (紫雲膏), Hsieh Kang Nen Ching Hsieh Wan (血康能清血丸), Liu Wei Di Huang San (六味地黃散), Chia Wei Huan Shao Wan (加味還少丸), Gardenia powder (梔子散), Scutellaria powder (黃芩散), Jin Suo Gu Jing Wan (金鎖固精丸), Sharen powder (砂仁散) and Ban Long Wan (斑龍丸).
The Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office is looking into which retailers the products were sold at and how many items need to be recalled, Shih said.
People who have purchased the products are advised to stop taking them and seek medical attention if they feel ill after use, she said.
The health ministry said that people who have questions about traditional Chinese medicine products they have purchased or are taking can check the Department of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy’s product permit inquiry page to see if the drug they are taking has been registered and is legal.
National Union of Chinese Medical Doctors’ Association official Chen Chao-tsung (陳潮宗) said that Juang Chuen Ren’s products are not sold in Chinese medicine clinics, but they are advertised on TV and radio, and are sold over the counter in pharmacies and cosmetics stores.
The standards for food factories and drug factories are not the same, he said.
The production of Chinese medicine must meet Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines, which include regulations on ingredient selection, manufacturing and storage conditions, he said, adding that even if one condition does not meet requirements, it can be considered counterfeit.
STILL COMMITTED: The US opposes any forced change to the ‘status quo’ in the Strait, but also does not seek conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US President Donald Trump’s administration released US$5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, including US$870 million in security exemptions for programs in Taiwan, a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters showed. Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that all foreign assistance must align with Trump’s “America First” priorities, issued waivers late last month on military aid to Israel and Egypt, the
France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and accompanying warships were in the Philippines yesterday after holding combat drills with Philippine forces in the disputed South China Sea in a show of firepower that would likely antagonize China. The Charles de Gaulle on Friday docked at Subic Bay, a former US naval base northwest of Manila, for a break after more than two months of deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. The French carrier engaged with security allies for contingency readiness and to promote regional security, including with Philippine forces, navy ships and fighter jets. They held anti-submarine warfare drills and aerial combat training on Friday in
COMBAT READINESS: The military is reviewing weaponry, personnel resources, and mobilization and recovery forces to adjust defense strategies, the defense minister said The military has released a photograph of Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) appearing to sit beside a US general during the annual Han Kuang military exercises on Friday last week in a historic first. In the photo, Koo, who was presiding over the drills with high-level officers, appears to be sitting next to US Marine Corps Major General Jay Bargeron, the director of strategic planning and policy of the US Indo-Pacific Command, although only Bargeron’s name tag is visible in the seat as “J5 Maj General.” It is the first time the military has released a photo of an active
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
RSS