Health Canada, Jul 26 2004
2004-43
July 26, 2004
Warning
Health Canada advises consumers not to use the products containing Aristolochic Acid
OTTAWA - Health Canada is advising consumers not to
use products containing Aristolochic Acid, a naturally occurring toxin
that can cause cancer, mutations in human cells, and end-stage kidney
failure.
There have been numerous international reports of death or injury from
kidney failure due to ingestion of products found to contain Aristolochic
Acid.
Health Canada first issued a warning about Aristolochic Acid in
November 1999. Other countries, including the United States, Australia,
and member states of the European Union, have also taken regulatory action
to address the risk of Aristolochic Acid to consumers.
Health Canada is currently determining whether these products are being
sold on the Canadian market, and has issued an alert to the Canadian
Border Services Agency to prevent the importation of these products into
Canada. There have been no reports of adverse effects related to
Aristolochic Acid in Canada.
Herbs being imported and exported may not be adequately labelled
because the pinyin (phonetic) spelling of the herbs' Chinese trade names
do not always capture critical aspects of pronunciation that properly
distinguish these herbs in the Chinese language. The pinyin trade name may
also lack the appropriate adjectives that correctly distinguish the
different herbs.
Therefore, products labelled to contain the following could contain
Aristolochia and its toxic Aristolochic Acid by mistake:
| Aristolochia |
Aristolochic Acid |
Mu Tong |
| Stephania |
Menispermum |
Cocculus |
| Diploclisia |
Sinomenium |
Akebia |
| Clematis |
Saussurea |
Vladimiria |
| |
Asarum |
Bragantia |
Aristolochia (birthwort, Virginia snakeroot), Asarum (wild ginger -
unrelated to common ginger), and Bragantia (also known as Apama or
Thottea) are plants known to contain Aristolochic Acid.
The Chinese Medicines Board of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong
Kong has recently provided Health Canada with the following list of
Chinese medicines that have been found to contain Aristolochic Acid. The
Hong Kong Department of Health has instructed manufacturers of these
products to recall the products from the market.
Table: Chinese medicines that have been found to contain
Aristolochic Acid
Name of Proprietary Chinese Medicine |
|
| "Hoi Ping Pai" Refined Sanshetan
Chuanpeimo |
Guangzhou Qixing Pharmaceutical Co.
Ltd. |
| Hua Tan Cough Capsules |
Guangzhou Zhongyi Pharmaceutical Company
Limited |
| Herba Asari |
Purapharm (Nanning) Pharmaceuticals Co.
Ltd. |
| Yishen Juanbi Wan |
Jackson Industrial (distributor) |
| Chaisentomg Nasal |
Chaisentomg Pharmaceutical Factory Ltd. |
| Fu Zhi Ling |
Man's Cheung Hong (distributor) |
| San Bi Tang-Joint Formula |
Purapharm (Nanning) Pharmaceuticals Co.
Ltd. |
| Chinese Medicine Nasal Rescue |
Wai Yuen Tong Medicine Co., Ltd. |
| Rheumatic Pills (translation) |
Lee Hoong Kee Limited |
| Pak Fung Pills (translation) |
Lee Hoong Kee Limited |
| Shunai Zhike Huatan Wan |
Beijing Tong Ren Tang Hong Kong Medicine
Management Limited |
| Hay Fever Killer |
Tung Tak Tong Chinese Medicine MFG. Co.,
Ltd. |
| Minor Blue Dragon Combination |
ACE Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited
(distributor) |
| Ling Kan Chiang Wei Hsin Jen Tang Extract
Granules |
Sun Ten Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. |
Ma Huang Fu Tzu His Hsin
Extract
Granules |
Sun Ten Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. |
| Pu Fei E Jiao San Extract Granules |
Sun Ten Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. |
| Song Dan Segan Pills |
Henan Shizhen Medicines Products Co.,
Ltd. |
| Gentiana Combination |
ACE Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited
(distributor) |
| Du Zhong Jin Gu Bi Tong Wan |
Ming Wah Company (distributor) |
| Chui Fong Tou Ku Wan |
Po Wo Tong Medicine Factory Ltd. |
| So Hop Pills |
Ma Pak Leung Co., Ltd. |
|
The text in this article was prepared by Health Canada.