China suspends use of herbal injection after death reported

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-12 21:17

BEIJING -- China's health authorities suspended the use of an herbal injection Thursday after one person is suspected to have died after using a product named Shuanghuanglian Injections.

An announcement by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) said they were investigating three cases where people had adverse reactions to the medicine, including one fatal, in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

According to Wusuli River Pharmacy's website, Shuanghuanglian Injections are used to treat fever and coughs caused by colds.

The medicine was manufactured by the company's Jiamusi Branch in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

The MOH and the SFDA urged all hospitals and drug stores to suspend the use and sales of the product, while closely monitoring any adverse reactions which might be linked to the injection.