Sales of all products from Chinese medicine maker Li Chung Shing Tong have been banned in Hong Kong after the company delayed informing the Department of Health that its Po Chai Pills contained cancer-causing drugs.
The company must submit a report on the progress of its recall and show the department it had adequate control over the production process before the ban could be lifted, a department spokesman said.
A departmental investigation found Li Chung initiated a recall of Po Chai Pills in January after internal tests showed that its capsule version contained phenolphthalein, which can cause cancer, and sibutramine, which can cause an increase of blood pressure.
The incident was revealed on Wednesday when the department learned of a product recall in Singapore. Li Chung had not informed the department of its internal test results or the Singaporean recall, despite being required to do so.
Departmental officials obtained documents and samples from the company for testing and inspected its factory yesterday.
Results showed that the raw material of the powder, which was used to fill capsules, had been contaminated. The material was bought from a new source on the mainland in May 2008, the spokesman said.