UK looking at ban on Chinese herbal
Chinese herbal remedy Qian Bai Biyan Pian, as it contain toxins
known to cause serious liver damage.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency first issued a warning to herbal interest groups in March 2002, requesting a voluntary withdrawal of all unlicensed medicines containing the Senecio species.
But it has since received five reports from members of the public claiming that the unlicensed product, which is used for rhinitis and pharyngitis, is still available on the British market.
Senecio species contain unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) which are known to cause serious liver damage and ultimately death. They have also been shown to be carcinogenic and genotoxic in animals.
At least 10 other European Union states have also restricted availability of the herbal.
The agency is proposing a ban under section 62 of the Medicines Act to stop the sale and supply of the unlicensed herbal. The ban would not apply to homeopathic remedies or those for external use only.
Comments on the proposal must be received by the agency by 23 April 2004.
There have been no formal reports of adverse reactions to the plant to date.
