Fake traditional Chinese medicines found to contain Western drug ingredients; FDA reminds public to stop group-buying health supplements

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, referred to as the Food and Drug Administration) tallied 1,508 cases of Chinese herbal medicines and foods suspected of being illegally adulterated with Western drug ingredients submitted by local health bureaus and judicial agencies from 2014 to the first quarter of 2015, of which 377 were found to contain Western drug ingredients; the FDA stated that these Chinese herbal medicines and foods can currently only be bought in Facebook groups and on Yahoo Kimo auctions, but the FDA has already asked the relevant units to take them down; it urges the public not to buy them casually online or from street stalls.

Among the products tested by the FDA this time, those containing Chinese herbal ingredients are classified as Chinese herbal medicines, such as aphrodisiacs and deer antler, while others are health foods without an approved registration number, such as "Garcinia cambogia capsules"; however, Chen Huifang, head of the FDA's research and testing division, said these things are "not healthy at all."

Among them, the more common online products "Nusbao Concentrated Garcinia Cambogia Capsules" (18 cases) and "Nusbao OB Protein Capsules" (16 cases) have repeatedly been found to contain illegal ingredients, and although their submitted packaging and labeling differ slightly, even samples with identical packaging, labeling and batch numbers do not necessarily yield the same test results, with as many as 8 ingredients found at the same time.

Chen Huifang said the risk of consuming such "drugs" lies in not knowing how much of these substances they contain, which poses a risk to different groups such as heart patients; at the same time, "Deer Antler Shengjing Pills" were also found to contain an antibiotic (chloramphenicol, CHLORAMPHENICOL), and excessive consumption can lead to drug resistance.

The FDA stated that products adulterated with illegal Western drug ingredients violate the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act; those who manufacture or import them without approval may be fined up to 10 million yuan and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison; those who sell, supply, or display with intent to sell without approval may be fined up to 5 million yuan and sentenced to up to 7 years in prison.

The FDA reminds the public that to buy medicines they should consult qualified physicians and take products made by legal pharmaceutical manufacturers, and should not listen to the "remarkable efficacy" claimed by unscrupulous operators; moreover, such products often have Western drug ingredients added without authorization, making consumers mistakenly believe the products are effective, unaware that they will "lose money and harm their health."