Traditional Chinese Practitioner Found Guilty Of Medicines Act Offences

A traditional Chinese practitioner today received a two-year conditional discharge at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to five offences of the Medicines Act 1968.


Susan Wu, who worked at the 'Chinese Herbal Medical Centre' in Chelmsford, Essex, prescribed and sold a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Longdan Xie Gan Wan, to a woman who was suffering from a minor skin complaint in 2003.


After five years of treatment, the patient has gone on to suffer kidney failure, developed cancer and suffered a heart attack, all of which doctors attribute to the ingestion of the TCM product. She undergoes dialysis three times weekly.


The Longdan Xie Gan Wan tablets uncovered during an investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) were found to contain Aristolochia, a toxic and carcinogenic plant derivative that has never been licensed for use in the UK and is banned.


MHRA Head of Enforcement, Mick Deats, said cases such as this highlight the very serious dangers that can be associated with alleged 'natural' products.


"Just because a remedy claims to be herbal, or natural, does not necessarily mean it is safe to consume," he said.


"Some traditional Chinese medicines, along with certain other herbal medicines, can pose serious health risks to those using them.


"We urge people not to purchase or consume TCMs that are not labelled in English. We also warn people that even when a product is labelled in English, this is not a guarantee of a safe and good quality product."


Notes


1. It is illegal for companies selling TCMs to make written medicinal claims about their unlicensed products. There are no licensed or registered TCMs in the UK, and they would therefore be treated as unlicensed medicines.


2. The MHRA will continue to take robust regulatory action against operators who ignore the existing limited legislation for unlicensed herbal medicines and therefore jeopardise public health.


3. The MHRA regulates medicinal products, not medical practitioners. Typically, TCMs are supplied via practitioners. The Department of Health is currently considering whether and how to regulate these practitioners.


4. New regulations to protect the public have been introduced by the MHRA for over-the-counter (OTC) herbal medicines (through the traditional herbal registration scheme). These registered herbal medicines, now coming onto the market, meet assured standards of safety, quality and patient information.

Source
MHRA