Bogus Diabetes Drug Found In Sichuan After China Issues Alert
Health authorities in the southwestern region discovered 215 bottles of counterfeit “Tang Zhi Ning Jiao Nang” brand diabetes drug, of which 73 have not been recovered after being sold, the Sichuan Food and Drug Administration said in a statement on its Web site late yesterday.
The agency reported no illnesses or deaths related to the drug.
Chinas Ministry of Health issued an urgent alert on Jan. 30 about the drug after two patients who took the drug in the western province of Xinjiang died on Jan. 17 and 19. China has detained four people in Xinjiang for selling the fake medicine, according to the State Food and Drug Administration.
The fake medicine contained an illegal ingredient called “glibenclamide” that can be used to lower blood sugar, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The counterfeit product has been found to contain six times the normal does of the chemical, Xinhua reported.