MFDS Issues Recall Order
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announced on June 25 that it has banned the sale of Ilyang Pharmaceutical Co.’s antianginal treatment “Simgyeonglac Cap” after detecting excessive lead from the drug. It has ordered the company to recall the product.
According to the Korean Pharmacopoeia acceptance standard, a product should not contain more than 5ppm of lead. However, Simgyeonglac Cap was found to contain up to 920 ppm of lead.
The MFDS has told Ilyang to recall 2002 cartons (one carton is 360 capsules) of Simgyeonglac Cap that was produced by Kyungjin Pharm on behalf of Ilyang. The product's expiration date is February 4, 2021.
The ministry has temporarily prohibited the distribution and sales of all Simgyeonglac products. The government will collect and inspect all the products and distribute only those deemed safe.
The MFDS currently conducts an additional investigation into the cause of excessive lead contained in Simgyeonglac Cap, and it is planning to press a charge against Ilyang Pharmaceutical and impose an administrative measure if the company is found to have violated any laws.