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Foreign Product Alert 2013-10 January 23, 2013 For immediate release

Health Canada is advising consumers not to use the products specified below due to concerns about possible side-effects. More info

Source of Alert

Hong Kong Department of Health

Product Names

• [W.S.] Tian Ma Toutong Wan
• Shi Hu Ye Guang Wan (Ye Guang Wan)
• Nai Chang Ming Yan Pills (Ming Yan Pills)
• [Fung Shing Pai] Tian-Ma Wan
• Bak Foong Pills (11 products - see below for details)

Manufacturer / Place of Origin

[W.S.] Tian Ma Toutong Wan, Shi Hu Ye Guang Wan (Ye Guang Wan) and Nai Chang Ming Yan Pills (Ming Yan Pills) are manufactured by Wah Shun Medicine Limited.

[Fung Shing Pai] Tian-Ma Wan is manufactured by Luen Hing Hong.

Bak Foong Pills are manufactured by Peking Medicine Manufactory.

Product Description

[W.S.] Tian Ma Toutong Wan is promoted for relieving headaches.

Shi Hu Ye Guang Wan (Ye Guang Wan) and Nai Chang Ming Yan Pills (Ming Yan Pills) are both promoted for improving vision in adults.

[Fung Shing Pai] Tian-Ma Wan is promoted for relieving arthritic symptoms and headaches.

Bak Foong Pills are promoted for relieving menstrual discomfort.

Tian Ma Toutong Wan:

Shi Hu Ye Guang Wan (Ye Guang Wan):

[Fung Shing Pai] Tian-Ma Wan:

Bak Foong Pills (note that images are not available for all affected Bak Foong Pill products):

Reason for Warning

The Hong Kong Department of Health has warned consumers not to purchase or use certain batches of these products after they were found to contain excessive levels of lead or mercury. Ingestion of excessive amounts of heavy metals such as lead or mercury poses serious health risks because the metals may accumulate in vital organs of the body. Children are most susceptible to the toxic effects.

[W.S.] Tian Ma Toutong Wan, Shi Hu Ye Guang Wan (Ye Guang Wan), Nai Chang Ming Yan Pills (Ming Yan Pills) and [Fung Shing Pai] Tian-Ma Wan were found to contain levels of lead above Health Canada's tolerance limits for heavy metal contaminants in natural health products.

The recalled batches are as follows:

Product name	Registration Number	Batch Number
[W.S.] Tian Ma Toutong Wan	HKP-02389	80090TR3
Shi Hu Ye Guang Wan (Ye Guang Wan)	HKP-03387	8011 WP1
Nai Chang Ming Yan Pills (Ming Yan Pills)	HKP-01836	8011 NY1
[Fung Shing Pai] Tian-Ma Wan	HKP-00317	001188

Two Bak Foong Pill products were found to contain mercury above Health Canada's tolerance limits for heavy metal contaminants in natural health products. Nine other Bak Foong Pill products manufactured with the same batch of ingredients were also recalled.

The affected products and batch numbers are as follows:

Product name	Registration Number	Batch Number
[Tin Bo Tong] Bak Foong Pills	HKP-03671	AL0255; AL0107
[Sau Hong Tong] Bak Foong Pills	HKP-15919	AL0255
[Whole Deer Brand] Bak Foong Pills	HKP-02928	AL0255
[Double Fish Brand] Bak Foong Pills	HKP-04207	AL0255
[Sin Wo Tong] Bak Foong Pills	HKP-15136	AL0255; AL0107
[Ching Tak Tong] Pak Foong Pills	HKP-15132	AL0255; AL0107
[Yan Chai Tong] Reishi Bak Foong Pills	HKP-02931	AL0107
[Fuk Shun Tong] Bak Foong Pills	HKP-14548	AL0107
[Lung Tak Brand] Bak Foong Pills	HKP-01733	AL0107
[Tsin Sau Tong] Bak Foong Pills	HKP-15107	AL0107
[Sai Man Tong] Bak Foong Pills	HKP-10956	AL0107

Possible 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.The toxic effects of mercury include irritability, tremors, memory loss, insomnia, concentration problems, and kidney and brain damage.

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Media Enquiries: Health Canada (613) 957-2983

For more details on these Foreign Product Alerts, please visit the Health Canada Web site.

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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.

Canadians who have this product are advised not to use it, and should consult with a health care professional if they have concerns about their health related to the use of this product.

Drugs and natural health products that are authorized for sale in Canada will have either 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.

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

For more information about the information contained in this advisory, please contact Health Canada's public inquiries line at (613) 957-2991 or toll-free at 1-866-225-0709.

As of the date of this posting, no adverse reactions suspected to be associated with the use of this product have been reported in Canada.