The Taiwan FDA ordered a recall of gastrointestinal drugs from 13 companies in case they used food-grade rather than pharmaceutical-grade ingredients in the products. The agency said 13 of 27 firms it inspected could not provide proof their magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate were of the proper types.
The FDA ordered the 13 companies, which were not identified, to seal their inventories and suspend shipments of the drugs. In Taiwan, drugmakers must have in hand papers from their suppliers certifying an ingredient is of pharmaceutical grade, the Taipei Times reported.
The agency said it conducted the 27 inspections based on reports some drugmakers were using the two ingredients in grades intended for industrial use only. Magnesium carbonate is marketed as a health supplement in food grade, and as a stomach treatment in pharmaceutical grade.
- here's the story from the Taipei Times