The Department of Health yesterday said it had asked Roche Holding AG to immediately recall an HIV treatment drug.
It made the call in a press release following a report that Europe's drug regulating body had recalled Viracept, made by the company, on Wednesday because of contamination.
"Contamination has been identified at the manufacturing stage ... the steps taken to recall Viracept go down to the level of the individual patient," said Michael Harvey, a spokesman for the European Medicines Agency.
Patients taking Viracept -- an antiretroviral agent for use in HIV therapy -- should return the drug to their physician and request a replacement therapy, Harvey said.
The nation's health department said in its press release that the license for Viracept's future importation would not be revoked.
All major hospitals nationwide have been alerted and told to change to alternative medication for patients currently using Viracept, it said.
According to the department's figures, 1091 bottles of the drug have been sold to 24 clinics and hospitals since the nation started importing the affected product.
Tsai Chao-cheng (蔡朝正), corporate affairs director for Roche Products Ltd, was quoted as saying in a Central News Agency (CNA) report yesterday that the firm had not received any adverse reports about Viracept in Taiwan. The firm would contact local hospitals for more information, he said.
Tsai urged patients prescribed Viracept to stop using the medicine and contact their doctors immediately, CNA reported.
The Swiss pharmaceutical company conducted a chemical analysis on the drug after six patients reported that their batches of Viracept emitted strange odors.
"A detailed chemical analysis of the affected tablets showed they contain higher than normal levels of methane sulfonic acid ethylester," the company said.
Roche said in a statement that it is recalling all batches of Viracept, in cooperation with the European watchdog and Switzerland's drug regulator, in Europe and in some other undisclosed countries.
Additional reporting by Angelica Oung
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese