The government has ordered the recall of all 216 pharmaceutical products made by local company MPL Holdings because the expiry date on the labels extended beyond the shelf life of the items.
The disclosure by the Health Department's chief pharmacist, Anthony Chan Wing-kin, came a day after reports that the company began withdrawing its products last month. Mr Chan said the department had taken documents from the factory in Tsing Yi and would refer the case to the police if any criminal elements were found.
A department spokesman criticised MPL for withdrawing the products before its investigation was complete, saying it could have erased evidence. Asked why the public had not been notified when the irregularity was discovered on February 25, Mr Chan said: 'We have just finished our investigation today and we are now immediately announcing the results.'
He said the problem involved the stability of the drugs, but not their safety. While the labels said their shelf life was three years, laboratory tests showed only two years.
'We must thoroughly investigate the problem before making an announcement,' he said.
'An exception would be made if the products were high-risk drugs or used to treat severe illnesses. But in this case, most of the drugs are only vitamins, minerals, cough syrup, and cold and flu pills,' he said, adding that most of the drugs had not been produced or sold for a long time. He also noted that MPL - like Tai Po drug firm Europharm, which produced the tainted gout pill allopurinol - had received the department's 'good manufacturing practice' accreditation. The department inspected the MPL factory in January but did not find anything wrong.
William Chui Chun-ming of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Hong Kong criticised the delay.
