DOH finds ads for Chinese medicines often exaggerated

The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday announced that it has identified 379 cases of advertisements which exaggerate the effects of medications one month into the nation's first ever government project to monitor illegal advertising.

The DOH's Chinese Medicine Committee began monitoring the advertisements in the middle of last month. So far, the committee has found 352 cases print advertisements for Chinese medicines containing exaggerated claims and 27 cases of radio advertisements with exaggerated claims.

On the list of brand names cited is the manufacturer of the well-known liver medicine 329 Treatcam (許榮助保肝丸). The manufacturer has been warned seven times by the Taipei City Government for advertisements which allegedly exaggerate the pills' effectiveness.

"Those advertisements said that the pill would cure Hepatitis B completely, but our experiments didn't show the same result," said Lin Yi-sin (林宜信) of the Chinese Medicine Committee.

The company's executive manager, Lin Yan-hwa (林衍華), however, questioned the city's findings.

"The medicine can't be 100 percent effective for every single patient," Lin said.

Companies suspected of exaggerating their products may be charged under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law (藥事法) and could be fined by local governments in the coming months.

Under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, advertisements for medicines must be approved by local governments' health departments. The 329 Treatcam advertisements are believed to have been broadcast without the city government's approval.

Media are banned from broadcasting advertisements without prior approval from local health departments.

Pharmaceutical companies found in violation of the law may be fined NT$30,000 to NT$150,000. Media organizations found to be in violation are subject to fines of NT$10,000 to NT$50,000.