Antidote needles used to treat nervous system toxicity that have been procured by the military for decades may have been illegal and the pharmaceutical factory producing them could face charges, prosecutors said yesterday.
Taoyuan prosecutors said that during an inspection in March of the Taiwan Veterans Pharmaceutical Co, which is run by the Veterans Affairs Commission in Jhongli (中壢), inspectors from the Taoyuan County Government’s Department of Health discovered that the factory had been producing antidote needles used to treat nervous system toxicity without a permit.
By law, pharmaceutical products must be approved by health authorities before distribution.
Prosecutors said the needles, which had not been approved by health authorities, were seized and transferred to prosecutors in Taoyuan for further investigation.
They said the company could be charged with violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法).
The Ministry of National Defense said that because procurement of the needles was a military secret, the factory did not publicize the matter and did not apply for permission with health authorities.
The company said it had not broken the law because production had been authorized by the military for decades.
The ministry said antidote needles are used in anti-nuclear, chemical and biological warfare.
The military also confirmed a news report that its stock of more than 90,000 needles had expired and that it had not ordered new ones. The needles have a shelf life of three years and two months.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) yesterday accused the ministry of illegally profiteering with Taiwan Veterans Pharmaceutical by allowing it to produce the needles for decades without holding public bids.
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