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The manufacturer of the popular Po Chai Pills,  found to contain cancer-causing chemicals, may face at least five charges for misconduct including making a false declaration in a product application, a senior health official said. 
Deputy director of health Dr Gloria Tam Lai-fun  said yesterday the department has serious concerns about the drug maker's management competence and will seek advice from the Department of Justice  on possible prosecution. 
At the same time, the department will hire more pharmacists to step up inspections of Hong Kong's 500 manufacturers of Chinese medicine, and increase tests on more risky proprietary Chinese medicine. 
No time frame has been given for the inspections. 
Manufacturers found to be sub-standard will be given a deadline to improve, or face having their licence suspended, Tam said. 
A preliminary investigation by the department into the city's latest drug safety scandal found that a substantial part of the production of Po Chai Pills was carried out on the mainland.
Health officials said on Monday night that 11 of the 153 Po Chai Pills samples tested contained phenolphthalein,  which can cause cancer, and sibutramine,  which can cause blood pressure to rise. Six of the samples were taken from capsule packs and five from raw materials. 
The department also found that manufacturer, Li Chung Shing Tong,  knew of the pills' content after an internal test in January but did not report it to the government. It has been ordered to halt production until its manufacturing standards met department requirements. 
Li Chung Shing Tong may face four charges under four ordinances. These  are the Chinese Medicine Ordinance   that regulates the licensing of Chinese medicine traders, the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance   that outlaws the sale of products unfit for human consumption, the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance   that regulates the sales of medicine and pharmaceutical products and the Trade Description Ordinance   that requires accurate descriptions of products. 
The maximum penalty of these charges is a HK$100,000 fine and two years' imprisonment. 
A fifth charge of false declaration could also apply, Tam said. 
Though Po Chai Pills in capsule form had been available for sale, Li Chung Shing Tong's application for their registration was in fact still in process. This is because a law regulating Chinese medicine registration is not yet in effect, and registration is now voluntary. 
But in its application, the company did not report that the capsule had been found to contain cancer-causing ingredients. This could constitute grounds for a charge of false declaration, Tam said. 
Po Chai Pills are commonly used as a remedy for the relief of indigestion, vomiting and diarrhoea. 
Critics say the department has failed to regulate the Chinese medicine market, but Tam rejected the charge. 'Hong Kong's regulation of the Chinese medicine is among the first in the world and everyone is watching us,' she said. Work on a formal registration process is continuing, but it would take time, she said. 'Don't forget Chinese medicine has a long history in Hong Kong.'
Apart from pharmacists to beef up inspections, the department also wants to hire more chemists, scientific officers, Chinese herbalists and engineers familiar with the hardware of drug-making.
Drug watch
A recall of Po Chai Pills - in capsule and in 10-bottle packs - is continuing 
By yesterday, this number of packs of the medicine has been returned: 283,725



Maker of tainted pills could face charges