Clipping Board » Medical Affairs and Administration ─ Medical system, pharmaceuticals, and medical community-related reports
China Broadcasting Network, July 18, 2012
A Tainan resident surnamed Tseng, who suffered from atopic dermatitis, sought treatment at a traditional Chinese medicine clinic. Unexpectedly, after taking the prescribed medication, he repeatedly fainted and eventually died despite emergency medical care. Following an autopsy conducted by the Tainan District Prosecutors Office, it was discovered that the arsenic concentration in the deceased's blood was as high as 1,225 micrograms—far exceeding the normal human tolerance level. Further investigation revealed that the arsenic content in ointments from Tainan's "Hui-O Chinese Medicine Clinic" was tens of thousands of times higher than the safe limit for humans.
During a police raid on the clinic, a large quantity of counterfeit drugs was seized. The clinic's director, Dr. Lin OO, was charged with professional negligence resulting in death and released on NT$300,000 bail after questioning. (Reported by Pang Qinglian)
Prosecutor Liu Shun-kuan of the Tainan District Prosecutors Office handled the death case. The autopsy showed that the arsenic level in the deceased's blood was 1,225 micrograms—nearly 70 times higher than the normal reference value of 18 micrograms. The cause of death was determined to be toxic shock and arsenic poisoning.
Further investigation revealed that the deceased had visited the Hui-O Chinese Medicine Clinic on Ximen Road in Tainan's West Central District for treatment of atopic dermatitis. Dr. Lin OO instructed the patient to completely stop using Western steroid medications, adhere to a vegetarian diet, and prescribed unapproved counterfeit drugs, including anti-inflammatory pain-relief ointment, psoriasis-healing cream, and an unspecified "collagen revitalizing cream," along with oral medications. The doctor also claimed that skin rashes during treatment were a detoxification process and that more rashes would lead to faster recovery.
After applying the ointments, the patient experienced severe itching, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, blurred vision, peeling skin, and painful swelling. Dr. Lin insisted these were detox symptoms and performed acupuncture, cupping, and bloodletting. Over 20 days, the patient's condition worsened, leading to repeated fainting spells. Despite emergency treatment at Tainan Municipal Hospital, the patient died.
Tests by the Criminal Investigation Bureau's Toxicology Division confirmed that the anti-inflammatory ointment and psoriasis cream contained arsenic levels of 7,640 ppm and 8,171 ppm, respectively—tens of thousands of times higher than the human tolerance limit of 0.6 ppm.
Authorities, including the Tainan City Police and Health Bureau, raided the clinic, seizing the deceased's medical records, drug formulation notes, and 99 bottles of the counterfeit ointments. Dr. Lin was charged under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act for manufacturing counterfeit drugs and under the Criminal Code for professional negligence resulting in death. After questioning, he was released on NT$300,000 bail.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E5……A% A4% E4% BF% 9D- 042232948. html
Fake Medicine with High Arsenic Kills; TCM Doctor Released on NT$300K Bail
A Tainan resident surnamed Tseng, who suffered from atopic dermatitis, sought treatment at a traditional Chinese medicine clinic. Unexpectedly, after taking the prescribed medication, he repeatedly fainted and eventually died despite emergency medical care. Following an autopsy conducted by the Tainan District Prosecutors Office, it was discovered that the arsenic concentration in the deceased's blood was as high as 1,225 micrograms—far exceeding the normal human tolerance level. Further investigation revealed that the arsenic content in ointments from Tainan's "Hui-O Chinese Medicine Clinic" was tens of thousands of times higher than the safe limit for humans.
During a police raid on the clinic, a large quantity of counterfeit drugs was seized. The clinic's director, Dr. Lin OO, was charged with professional negligence resulting in death and released on NT$300,000 bail after questioning. (Reported by Pang Qinglian)
Prosecutor Liu Shun-kuan of the Tainan District Prosecutors Office handled the death case. The autopsy showed that the arsenic level in the deceased's blood was 1,225 micrograms—nearly 70 times higher than the normal reference value of 18 micrograms. The cause of death was determined to be toxic shock and arsenic poisoning.
Further investigation revealed that the deceased had visited the Hui-O Chinese Medicine Clinic on Ximen Road in Tainan's West Central District for treatment of atopic dermatitis. Dr. Lin OO instructed the patient to completely stop using Western steroid medications, adhere to a vegetarian diet, and prescribed unapproved counterfeit drugs, including anti-inflammatory pain-relief ointment, psoriasis-healing cream, and an unspecified "collagen revitalizing cream," along with oral medications. The doctor also claimed that skin rashes during treatment were a detoxification process and that more rashes would lead to faster recovery.
After applying the ointments, the patient experienced severe itching, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, blurred vision, peeling skin, and painful swelling. Dr. Lin insisted these were detox symptoms and performed acupuncture, cupping, and bloodletting. Over 20 days, the patient's condition worsened, leading to repeated fainting spells. Despite emergency treatment at Tainan Municipal Hospital, the patient died.
Tests by the Criminal Investigation Bureau's Toxicology Division confirmed that the anti-inflammatory ointment and psoriasis cream contained arsenic levels of 7,640 ppm and 8,171 ppm, respectively—tens of thousands of times higher than the human tolerance limit of 0.6 ppm.
Authorities, including the Tainan City Police and Health Bureau, raided the clinic, seizing the deceased's medical records, drug formulation notes, and 99 bottles of the counterfeit ointments. Dr. Lin was charged under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act for manufacturing counterfeit drugs and under the Criminal Code for professional negligence resulting in death. After questioning, he was released on NT$300,000 bail.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E5……A% A4% E4% BF% 9D- 042232948. html