The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday warned that melatonin, which is used to treat sleeping disorders, has never been approved in the nation, so purchasing it abroad and selling it in Taiwan is against the law.
According to a survey by the Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine, about one in five, or 20.2 percent, of Taiwanese suffer from chronic sleep disorder.
Statistics released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February also showed that a total of 339 million sleeping pills were consumed in Taiwan in 2014.
While many people are worried about the side effects of taking sleeping pills regularly, such as dizziness or lightheadedness, prolonged drowsiness, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, severe allergic reactions or daytime memory and performance problems, some turn to melatonin to help them deal with insomnia.
In some countries like the US, melatonin is considered a dietary supplement and can be purchased over the counter. Some use it to adjust the body’s internal clock, such as when suffering from jet lag or shift-work disorder.
However, Chi Jo-feng (祁若鳳), a senior technical specialist at the Food and Drug Administration, said melatonin has been listed as a controlled substance in Taiwan since 1996.
No local pharmaceutical company has ever applied for a drug manufacturing license, so production or selling of melatonin is illegal in the nation, Chi said.
According to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法), people who import or sell illegal drugs, such as melatonin, can face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to NT$50 million (US$1.55 million), the ministry said.
People can purchase melatonin for personal use, but are allowed to bring in only 12 bottles, it said, adding that selling them is strictly against the law.
“Taking melatonin regularly for an extended period can change the natural production and release of melatonin in the body,” Lin Chia-mo (林嘉謨), chief director of the Sleep Research Center at Shin Kong Memorial Hospital, said yesterday, adding that the dosage and ingredients of these products are not universal and could be confusing to users.
Moreover, overseas studies have shown that a high dosage of melatonin can cause possible side effects, including nausea, vomiting, daytime sleepiness or even affect fertility.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
MULTIPRONGED APPROACH: China has sought to pressure Palau across a number of fronts, but the island nation has staunchly resisted overtures to ditch Taiwan Palau has been firm in backing Taiwan despite Chinese pressure that uses tourism economics, cyberattacks and criminal infiltration as tools to threaten the Pacific ally into renouncing its recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign state. The Presidential Office yesterday announced that Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) would visit Palau from Saturday to Wednesday next week at the invitation of Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. Whipps in April said in an interview that China had outspokenly asked Palau to “denounce Taiwan.” “And we have said: ‘We have no enemies, but nobody tells us who our friends are,’” he said. Whipps has told reporters multiple times
RSS