There are substitutes for the seven types of drugs Taiwan imports from Israel, so people do not need to worry about a potential shortage amid war in the Middle East, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The agency also reported that grapes from Japan were found to contain residue of an unauthorized pesticide.
Concerns have risen about possible effects on drug supplies from Israel after Hamas on Saturday launched a surprise attack on the nation, with Jerusalem on Sunday declaring war on the Palestinian militant group.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
There are nine FDA-approved licenses for drugs manufactured in Israel, with seven still valid, but they are all generic drugs that Taiwan manufactures, the FDA said.
The seven include drugs to treat a skin infection, idiopathic Parkinson’s disease and relapsing or remitting multiple sclerosis, FDA Deputy Director Cheng Hwei-fang (陳惠芳) said.
As there are alternatives, the situation in Israel would not affect supply in the short term, Cheng said.
However, Israel is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of generic drugs and also supplies ingredients, said Huang Yen-ju (黃彥儒), spokesman for the Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists’ Associations, adding that if the war is long, it might affect global supplies.
BORDER CHECKS
Separately, the FDA yesterday said 11 items have failed recent border inspections: grapes from Japan, shelled coconuts and two types of mangosteen from Thailand, two types of instant noodles from Vietnam, fried chicken sauce from South Korea, sorghum from Australia, and mung beans and two types of chili sauce from Indonesia.
A batch of Japanese grapes were found to have residue of pesticide cyclaniliprole, which is only approved for apples, Asian pears and tea, FDA Deputy Director Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said.
The batch had a residue concentration of 0.01 parts per million, with 250kg of grapes to be returned or destroyed, Lin said.
Three batches of the grapes have failed the inspection within a six-month period, so inspections would be conducted batch-by-batch until five consecutive batches pass, Lin said, adding that the five batches would be held to a standard three times stricter than normal.
Five batches of instant noodles from a Vietnamese company failed inspections over six months, so the inspection rate for goods imported by the company has been made batch-by-batch, he said.
Nine batches of mangosteen imported by six Thai companies failed inspections over six months, so the inspection rate for those companies has been increased, he added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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