Foreign Product Alerts: [Wing Cheong Tong] Bak Feng Pill, [Yee On Tong] Bak Feng Pill, and Beijing Bak Feng Pill

Starting date:

July 16, 2014

Posting date:

July 16, 2014

Type of communication:

Foreign Product Alert (FPA)

Subcategory:

Natural health products

Source of recall:

Health Canada

Source of alert:

Hong Kong Department of Health

Issue:

Undeclared Substance

Audience:

General Public

Identification number:

RA-40531

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Introduction

These products are not authorized for sale in Canada and have not been found in the Canadian marketplace, but it is possible they may have been brought into the country by travellers or purchased over the Internet.

Affected products

• [Wing Cheong Tong] Bak Feng Pill
• [Yee On Tong] Bak Feng Pill
• Beijing Bak Feng Pill

[Wing Cheong Tong] Bak Feng Pill, [Yee On Tong] Bak Feng Pill, and Beijing Bak Feng Pill

Product description

These products are promoted for relief of menstrual discomfort.

Hazard identified

The Hong Kong Department of Health warned consumers not to use these products after they were found to contain excessive levels of lead.

• Ingestion of excessive amounts of heavy metals, such as lead, poses serious health risks because they may accumulate in vital organs of the body.  Children are most susceptible to the toxic effects of heavy metals.

Place of origin

Mega Good Industrial Limited

Side effects

The toxic effects of lead include abdominal pain, anemia, changes in blood pressure, reproductive disorders such as miscarriage, weakness, concentration problems, weight loss, insomnia, dizziness, and kidney and brain damage.

What you should do

Health Canada advises Canadians to contact the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate at 1-800-267-9675 if they find the products listed above in the Canadian marketplace.

Canadians who have these products are advised not to use them, and should consult with a healthcare professional if they have concerns about their health related to the use of these products.

Background

Drugs and natural health products that are authorized for sale in Canada will have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label. These numbers indicate that the products have been assessed by Health Canada for safety, effectiveness and quality.

As of May 15, 2014, no adverse reactions suspected to be associated with the use of these products have been reported to Health Canada.

Report a health or safety concern

To report a side effect to a health product to Health Canada:

• Call toll-free at 1-866-234-2345
• Visit Health Canada's Web page on Adverse Reaction Reporting for information on how to report online, by mail or by fax

Images

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