Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
2011-06-02 China Times
The plasticizer storm has shifted from food to pharmaceuticals! The well-known pharmaceutical company Standard Chemical Co., Ltd.'s "Stomach-Soothing Suspension Emulsion" has been found by the Macau government to contain the "seventh" plasticizer, DIBP (Diisobutyl Phthalate). Macau imported 4,000 packets this year and has advised the public not to purchase or consume them. Wu Sanfa, spokesperson for Standard Chemical, stated that the plasticizer is suspected to have leached from the packaging material, and the company will conduct a full recall of the product. The Tainan City Health Bureau inspected Standard Chemical on the 1st and sealed 1,757 boxes of the remaining stock.
Standard Chemical, a 44-year-old pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Xinying District, Tainan, is a well-known GMP-certified pharmaceutical company in Taiwan. The problematic "Stomach-Soothing Suspension Emulsion" was launched in 2000 and is a prescription medication used to treat gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, esophageal ulcers, and reflux esophagitis. Its annual export value to Macau is only NT$80,000.
The pharmaceutical company received a call from its Macau distributor the night before last, informing them that the Stomach-Soothing Suspension Emulsion had tested positive for DIBP. Macau health authorities determined that this component is similar in toxicity to the six major categories of plasticizers currently under investigation by Taiwan's Department of Health. As a result, the product has been completely removed from shelves, and local residents have been advised not to purchase or consume it.
Wu Sanfa, manager and spokesperson for Standard Chemical, said that the Macau government refused to provide the test report, making it impossible to determine whether the DIBP was detected in the emulsion or the packaging material. Following the plasticizer scandal, Standard Chemical independently sent samples to a reputable testing agency to ensure product safety, but none of the six major plasticizers were detected. It is reasonably suspected that the DIBP likely leached from the packaging material, and the matter is currently under investigation.
Wu Sanfa noted that this stomach emulsion is primarily exported to Vietnam and mainland China, with only a very small number of medical institutions in Taiwan stocking it. He stated that Taiwan, like advanced countries such as the UK, the Netherlands, and the US, legally permits the use of DIBP in food packaging materials. Additionally, Standard Chemical has not sourced materials from the currently implicated suppliers, Yu Shen, Bin Han, or their downstream partners. To ensure product safety, the company has immediately sent relevant raw materials used in the production of the Stomach-Soothing Suspension Emulsion for testing.
Even health insurance-covered stomach medications have been contaminated with plasticizers! The antacid "Stomach-Soothing Suspension Emulsion," manufactured by the well-known pharmaceutical company Standard Chemical, has been found by the Macau government to contain DIBP, prompting the company to voluntarily recall the product. The National Health Insurance Administration stated that this stomach medication is used in approximately 10,000 bottles annually, with health insurance reimbursements totaling NT$1 million per year. Given the limited usage, medical institutions have been instructed to discontinue its use immediately.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ f……0108859/ 112011060200093. html
7th Plasticizer Found: Shengda's Stomach Suspension Contains DIBP, Hospitals Halt Use
The plasticizer storm has shifted from food to pharmaceuticals! The well-known pharmaceutical company Standard Chemical Co., Ltd.'s "Stomach-Soothing Suspension Emulsion" has been found by the Macau government to contain the "seventh" plasticizer, DIBP (Diisobutyl Phthalate). Macau imported 4,000 packets this year and has advised the public not to purchase or consume them. Wu Sanfa, spokesperson for Standard Chemical, stated that the plasticizer is suspected to have leached from the packaging material, and the company will conduct a full recall of the product. The Tainan City Health Bureau inspected Standard Chemical on the 1st and sealed 1,757 boxes of the remaining stock.
Standard Chemical, a 44-year-old pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Xinying District, Tainan, is a well-known GMP-certified pharmaceutical company in Taiwan. The problematic "Stomach-Soothing Suspension Emulsion" was launched in 2000 and is a prescription medication used to treat gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, esophageal ulcers, and reflux esophagitis. Its annual export value to Macau is only NT$80,000.
The pharmaceutical company received a call from its Macau distributor the night before last, informing them that the Stomach-Soothing Suspension Emulsion had tested positive for DIBP. Macau health authorities determined that this component is similar in toxicity to the six major categories of plasticizers currently under investigation by Taiwan's Department of Health. As a result, the product has been completely removed from shelves, and local residents have been advised not to purchase or consume it.
Wu Sanfa, manager and spokesperson for Standard Chemical, said that the Macau government refused to provide the test report, making it impossible to determine whether the DIBP was detected in the emulsion or the packaging material. Following the plasticizer scandal, Standard Chemical independently sent samples to a reputable testing agency to ensure product safety, but none of the six major plasticizers were detected. It is reasonably suspected that the DIBP likely leached from the packaging material, and the matter is currently under investigation.
Wu Sanfa noted that this stomach emulsion is primarily exported to Vietnam and mainland China, with only a very small number of medical institutions in Taiwan stocking it. He stated that Taiwan, like advanced countries such as the UK, the Netherlands, and the US, legally permits the use of DIBP in food packaging materials. Additionally, Standard Chemical has not sourced materials from the currently implicated suppliers, Yu Shen, Bin Han, or their downstream partners. To ensure product safety, the company has immediately sent relevant raw materials used in the production of the Stomach-Soothing Suspension Emulsion for testing.
Even health insurance-covered stomach medications have been contaminated with plasticizers! The antacid "Stomach-Soothing Suspension Emulsion," manufactured by the well-known pharmaceutical company Standard Chemical, has been found by the Macau government to contain DIBP, prompting the company to voluntarily recall the product. The National Health Insurance Administration stated that this stomach medication is used in approximately 10,000 bottles annually, with health insurance reimbursements totaling NT$1 million per year. Given the limited usage, medical institutions have been instructed to discontinue its use immediately.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ f……0108859/ 112011060200093. html