South Korea pulls 1,000 asbestos tainted drugs from shelves
The dangerous ingredient was imported from China by Ansan headquartered Duksan Pure Chemicals and may have been used in the production of pharmaceuticals by more than 120 drugmakers.
According to a report in the JoonAngDaily newspaper Duksan, which imports around 20 per cent of the talcum sold in South Korea each year, posted an official apology on its website on April 2 and has initiated a recall of affected batch.
The paper quotes an unnamed source at one of the affected drugmakers as confirming that some of its products did contain trace amount of asbestos. The source explains that although the quantity found is not considered a risk to health the company has initiated a recall as a precautionary measure.
Earlier this week the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) ordered the withdrawal of numerous cosmetics and baby powders that are also thought to contain the tainted talcum.
While the KFDA has yet to issue a full list of the affected drugs, treatments for hypertension, diabetes and anaemia were included in a blanket recall list issued by the agency late yesterday.
The agency said that itself and the national Health Ministry will meet with the Korean National Council of Consumer Organizations, Korean Medical Association and the Korea Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association to address the problem.
The Korean Herald newspaper reports that while the government banned the use of asbestos-containing materials in 2007, the legislation did not specifically mention talcum which can be contaminated by asbestos during the milling process.
The Herald also claims that Korean authorities have failed to make any progress in controlling the industrial use of talcum despite being made aware of the loophole by foreign governments and health regulators in March.
In Europe, where the use of talcum in industrial applications is strictly controlled and monitored, manufacturers have been required to filter out all traces of asbestos since 2005
