China NMPA Drug Inspection - Chengdu Mingde Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. - Prepared licorice

On December 1, 2021, the Sichuan Provincial Drug Administration issued Announcement No. 13 of 2021, identifying six batches of traditional Chinese medicine products that failed to meet national quality standards. The manufacturers cited in the report include Chengdu Yicheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Sichuan Tianzhi Traditional Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd., Chengdu Mingde Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Sichuan Tongzhengtang Traditional Chinese Medicine Pieces Co., Ltd., Liangshan Xinxin Traditional Chinese Medicine Pieces Co., Ltd., and Gansu Mingui Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology Co., Ltd. Testing conducted by regional food and drug inspection institutes revealed several quality violations. These included deviations in physical appearance, excessive moisture, and failures in content determination for specific active ingredients. Additionally, some products were found to have excessive ash content or dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide residue. These deficiencies constitute violations of the Drug Administration Law of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In response, the regulatory authorities have ordered the affected companies to immediately suspend sales and use of the identified batches and initiate product recalls. The enterprises must also investigate the root causes of these quality failures and implement corrective actions. Local drug regulatory departments have been instructed to pursue formal investigations into the production and sale of these substandard medicines and to ensure that the results of these investigations are publicly disclosed.