The Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a statement on Friday that it has replaced 309 problematic nutritional supplements in the form of softgels for pregnant women for residents.
On Wednesday, the Pharmaceutical Supervision and Administration Bureau (ISAF) announced in a statement that it had received a report from local drug importers about a product imported from the United States that was found to have black spots on the softgels.
The problematic supplements titled “PRENATAL VITAMIN DHA SOFTGELS” produced by “Earth’s Creation USA” were found to have black spots on the softgels. As a precautionary measure, the drug importer has voluntarily recalled the affected batch of supplements available locally. The batch numbers are 22199 and 32149.
The problematic softgels are a prenatal multinutrient supplement, an over-the-counter supplement used to provide vitamin B, calcium, magnesium, and other essential vitamins and minerals. According to the importer, the implicated batch was distributed to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, public health centres, polyclinics, and community pharmacies.
According to the SSM statement, a total of 1,367 individuals were prescribed the supplement by the bureau, which initiated the first phase of the recall on Friday. Residents who were prescribed the affected batches of the supplement may take them to their designated health centres or contracted pharmacies for replacement.
The second phase, according to the statement, will commence this Saturday. Residents who purchased the supplements without a Health Bureau prescription may take the recalled products to their designated health centres or the outpatient pharmacy of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre or return the products to the pharmacy where they bought the supplement for a refund.
This undated handout photo provided by the Pharmaceutical Supervision and Administration Bureau (ISAF) shows a bottle of the problematic softgels, a dietary supplement imported from the US.
