Thread: Augmentin : Plasticizer discovered in prescription drug

Plasticizer discovered in prescription drug Augmentin
Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday recommended that hospitals temporarily stop dispensing the powder form of Augmentin (安滅菌), a GlaxoSmithKline (葛蘭素史克) antibiotic, after it was found to contain a plasticizer.

Augmentin is a treatment for respiratory infections in children, according to GlaxoSmithKline.

A small quantity of the plasticizer DIDP was found in the sample submitted to us by a concerned citizen, Kang Jan-Jou (康照洲), director general of DOH's Food and Drug Administration said in a press conference yesterday.

The DIDP content per dose is about 2 mg, one-1,500th of the permissible intake per day for a 20-kg child, Kang said, calling the amount “miniscule.” The DOH will conduct a further test with its own sample, and results will be expected within two days of the test, he added.

GlaxoSmithKline is said to be submitting the drug for “third-party” testing.

As a result of the extensive use of plasticizers in many industries, traces can be found in tap water, underground water, and manmade products, Kang said, adding plasticizers can be produced as a by-product of the manufacturing process, such as the small amount of plasticizer found in the tiramisu cakes retailed by warehouse retailer RT-Mart (大潤發).

These plasticizers are different from those added to clouding agents by such manufacturers as Yu Shen (昱伸公司) and Ben Hur (賓漢公司), Kang said.

President Ma's Concerns

President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday told government agencies in a meeting to try and win back other countries' confidence in Taiwanese products by keeping a close watch on goods, conducting thorough investigations and sternly punishing offenders.

The president will hold a meeting today to review how various government agencies are dealing with the worsening plasticizer crisis.

According to government sources, the entire government is dealing with the crisis aggressively. In a written report, the Executive Yuan stated the DOH holds a task force meeting daily to study the necessary measures, while Vice Premier Sean Chen has called several crisis meetings to supervise the use of government resources.

At a June 2 Executive Yuan meeting, Premier Wu Den-yih also called on government agencies to thoroughly investigate and severely punish the culprits. Wu also recommended that the countries laws be revised and contaminated products be destroyed.

More Problem Products

Singapore yesterday banned the import of Taiwan's Tachungo, the fourth Taiwanese product banned by the island nation because of contamination by plasticizers.

Singaporean authorities, demanding a recall, said Tachungo, a mango syrup, was found to contain plasticizers in a test.

Meanwhile, test results released yesterday show that the raw materials used by a Taichung retailer under the name of beverages retail chain Balance (杯樂) contain the plasticizer DEHP.

Taichung health authorities also have found that 43 out of the chain's 110 franchise operators have used the contaminated materials to produce their high-sugar asparagus juice. Management from the company that produces the materials, however, were nowhere to be found when inspectors arrived at the company, according to the Taichung City Department of Health.

Tainan city government will destroy today in a city incinerator, 57,000 “probiotic bacteria” capsules, called LP33 Capsules, produced by food industry giant Uni-President.

chinapost.com.tw


Mid : Any parents with children on antibiotics would be well advised to utilise Google .

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China orders recall of Glaxco drug
Jun 19, 2011


China on Saturday ordered British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline to recall an antibiotic used to treat infections in children which was found to be tainted with a plasticiser.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM

BEIJING - CHINA on Saturday ordered British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline to recall an antibiotic used to treat infections in children which was found to be tainted with a plasticiser.

Traces of diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP), which is used to make plastics more flexible, were found in Glaxo's amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium suspension, which is sold under the tradename Augmentin, the State Food and Drug Administration said on its website.

Glaxo was ordered to immediately stop selling the antibiotic and recall those which had already entered the market.

Hong Kong last week ordered a recall of Augmentin after tests revealed the antibiotic syrup produced by Glaxo's French factory contained an unsafe level of DIDP.

The drugmaker is the latest company to become embroiled in a scare over plasticisers, with Hong Kong banning several Taiwanese drinks in recent weeks after tests showed they were tainted with excessive amounts of another plasticiser.

Taiwan has issued a major recall of products, including nearly half a million bottles of sports drinks and fruit juice, over fears they contained the chemical used in plastics. -- AFP

straitstimes.com

I have been taking that stuff for 2 weeks now at 1000mg twice a day.

What is going to happen? Will my Peter to into solid plastic?

Hey! maybe the missus will be happy now