Medicine recalls
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| Canada: Unauthorized injectables and other health products from Galena Pharm Inc. pharmacy may pose serious health risks |
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Health Canada announces that it is warning health care practitioners and patients that unauthorized health products prepared and sold by Galena Pharm Inc. pharmacy may pose serious health risks. Health care practitioners and patients should stop administering or using them.
Products include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, naturopathic cancer therapy and other therapies administered by injection or infusion in health settings, such as clinics, and non-injectable products such as capsules and suppositories that patients may have in their homes. They were sold to health care practitioners (including naturopaths and physicians) in at least three provinces: British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. For details of the affected products, please refer to the website in Health Canada.
Health Canada directed the pharmacy to recall one product, reduced glutathione for injection, due to reports of endotoxin poisoning in British Columbia. Health Canada testing confirmed high levels of endotoxin. Endotoxin is a harmful substance produced by bacteria. Exposure to high levels of endotoxin in the blood can cause serious health problems, such as fever, nausea and vomiting, low blood pressure, shock, organ failure, and death. This risk is especially high when contaminated products are injected or infused into the body.
Health Canada also directed the pharmacy to stop manufacturing and selling all unauthorized health products. Unauthorized health products have not been approved by Health Canada, which means that they have not been assessed for safety, effectiveness and quality. Selling unauthorized health products in Canada is illegal.
In addition, Galena Pharm Inc. was found to be operating without the necessary Health Canada drug establishment licence.
Please refer to the following website in Health Canada for details:
http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/../75003a-eng.php
In Hong Kong, the above-mentioned reduced glutathione for injection is not a registered pharmaceutical product. There is also no registered pharmaceutical product manufactured by Galena Pharm Inc. pharmacy.
Ends/Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021
Issued at HKT 16:00
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