The Jiangxi Provincial Food and Drug Administration recently released information on administrative penalties for decoction pieces of traditional Chinese medicine (Ganyao Jianpu [2021] No. 44), showing that the Chinese medicine manufacturer Jiangxi Shunfutang Decoction Pieces Co., Ltd. was punished for producing and selling inferior medicine Astragalus.
It is not the first time that Shunfutang Chinese Medicine Decoction Pieces Company has been punished for selling inferior medicines. According to data from Tianyancha, Shunfutang Traditional Chinese Medicine Decoction Pieces Company was confiscated by the Jiangxi Provincial Drug Administration on March 18, 2020 for its illegal income of 11,958.75 yuan and a fine of 35,888.64 yuan for its production and sales of inferior drugs. It was punished twice by the Food and Drug Administration of Ji’an City, Jiangxi Province on May 16, 2018 and July 12, 2018.
Shunfutang Traditional Chinese Medicine Decoction Pieces Company has been notified by the market supervision departments in China many times because of the unqualified sampling inspection of related drugs. Taking 2019 as an example, the company appeared on the blacklist of drug sampling inspections at least 5 times.
On December 17, 2019, the Jiangxi Provincial Food and Drug Administration issued the “Jiangxi Province No. 5 Drug Supervision and Sampling Information Announcement in 2019”, which indicated that the mulberry bark produced by Jiangxi Shunfutang Chinese Medicine Decoction Pieces Co., Ltd. (labeled batch number: 170501) were unqualified in respects of ‘moisture’ and ‘total ash’.
On August 6, 2019, the “Drug Sampling Information Notice 2019 Issue 2” issued by the Guizhou Provincial Food and Drug Administration showed that Morinda officinalis (production batch number: 180801) produced by Jiangxi Shunfutang Chinese Medicine Decoction Pieces Co., Ltd. was detected that the trait item does not meet the requirements.
On June 5, 2019, the drug sampling announcement issued by the Jiangxi Provincial Food and Drug Administration showed that Lygodium japonicum (batch number: 150401) produced by Jiangxi Shunfutang Chinese Medicine Decoction Pieces Co., Ltd. was found to be out of compliance with the regulations.
On May 7, 2019, the Drug Quality Announcement No. 1 of 2019 issued by the Hubei Provincial Food and Drug Administration showed that the traits of the fried gardenia (manufacturing batch number: 180501) produced by Jiangxi Shunfutang Chinese Medicine Decoction Pieces Co., Ltd. were detected qualified.
On April 28, 2019, the Jiangxi Provincial Food and Drug Administration issued an announcement on the disposition of products that did not meet the requirements in the national drug evaluation and sampling inspections of China. As a result, the company was confiscated 1640.93 yuan of illegal income and fined 3281.86 yuan.
On the whole, in the above notification, the problem of unqualified drug properties produced by Shunfutang Chinese Medicine Decoction Pieces Company is outstanding. It is understood that the appearance, odor, taste, solubility, and physical constants are recorded under the properties item, which reflects the quality characteristics of the drug to a certain extent. The traits of Chinese herbal medicines that do not meet the requirements may involve the following situations: deviation of medicinal material species, flaws in processing technology, improper storage, etc.
Public information shows that Shunfutang Traditional Chinese Medicine Decoction Pieces Company was established in 2014 with a registered capital of 35 million yuan. The major shareholder is Jiangxi Yuxia Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (100% holding), and it has invested in 3 companies, involving Jiangxi Province Daodi Research and Development Co., Ltd., Jiangxi Yuzhida Health Industry Co., Ltd. and Jiangxi Kangxin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The company’s business scope involves production and sales of Chinese herbal medicine decoction pieces (including purifying, cutting, frying, broiling, calcining, steaming, boiling, cooking, and charcoal preparation; including directly taking Chinese medicine decoction pieces; toxic decoction pieces: including purifying, cutting, cooking, frying, broiling, steaming, boiling), as well as planting, purchasing, and sales of Chinese medicinal materials outside the unified control.
Source: China Quality News