M'sia bans sale of Hong Thai herbal inhalers

Malaysia's health ministry has announced a ban on the sale and distribution of the popular Thai Swan Brand herbal inhalers, also known as "Hong Thai", saying that the product has not been registered with the authorities.

This follows the product recall issued by Thai authorities after they detected microbial contamination in a batch of the inhalers.

Unregistered

According to MalayMail, Malaysia's health ministry said in a statement on Nov. 6 that the "Hong Thai Formula 2" inhaler was not registered with its national pharmaceutical regulatory agency.

The statement noted that the sale and possession of unregistered medicines is an offence under the country's law, The Star wrote.

Monitoring and enforcement actions will be carried out against any sellers found offering the product, the health ministry warned.

It advised the public to stop using the product immediately and seek medical advice if they experience any adverse effects or suspicious symptoms.

Free Malaysia Today also reported that the ministry has requested e-commerce platforms to remove listings for the product.

The product recall issued by Thai authorities affected "Hong Thai Formula 2" inhalers with production batch number 000332.

They later raided four illegal manufacturing facilities and seized more than two million herbal inhalers worth over 120 million baht (S$4.8 million).

Hong Thai's manufacturer has said it will work with authorities to implement sterilisation best practices following the product recall issue.

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