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Reply:
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
of the criteria adopted for determining the categories of Chinese patent medicines to be tested, the number of such tests and the methods of conducting such tests;
of the progress made by the Preparatory Committee on Chinese Medicine regarding the Committee's work on the regulation of Chinese herbs and Chinese patent medicines;
whether the Department of Health has considered bringing Chinese patent medicines under the regulation of the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance and setting up a labelling system for Chinese patent medicines; if so, when the relevant measures will be implemented; if not, why not; and
whether the Department of Health at present has regular contacts with the Chinese Ministry of Public Health and the State Chinese Medicine Regulating Bureau; if so, what the details are; if not, whether regular contacts with these two bodies will be made in future?
(a)
The number of tests on Chinese proprietary medicines carried out during the past 3 years, and their outcomes, are as follows:
No. of samples analysed
1993
242
1994
252
1995
433
No. found to
contain western drug
6
10
9
No. found to
contain unacceptable levels
of heavy metal
1
4
2
(b)
Medicines selected for tests include those for rheumatism, colds, influenza, etc.
Proprietary Chinese medicines are selected for testing upon import or from the local market. Special emphasis is placed on those medicines. which are more popular among consumers or have had a record of failure to meet test standards. They are analysed for the presence of western drug ingredients and of the level of heavy metals, namely, arsenic, mercury, lead and since 1996, cadmium.
The number of proprietary medicines taken for analysis and the results are set out in (a) above.