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Third Recall of Pan Products

4 May 2003

The Minister for Food Safety Minister Annette King is ordering a third recall in New Zealand of products manufactured by Australian company Pan Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority has prepared for publication a third recall notice and is advising people to stop taking the products being recalled and to either dispose of them or return them to place of purchase. The best disposal method is in the rubbish bin.

This latest recall includes more than 700 products manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals that are available in New Zealand. The recall has been ordered under section 40 of the Food Act 1981. The penalties for non-compliance of the recall are a fine of up to $2000 or imprisonment of up to three months.

"People may notice that this new list contains some brands that already appear to have been recalled. However we advise that where that is the case, the batch numbers are different. We want to ensure that we have recalled every batch of every product for sale or sold in New Zealand manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals since 1 May 2002," NZFSA Director of Policy and Regulatory Standards, Carole Inkster said.

The up-to-date list of products is available on our website - www.nzfsa.govt.nz or by calling the helpline on 0800 693 721.

The second recall list is still to be published in newspapers and we are working with them to try and combine the list of products involved in the second and third recalls to be published this week. The list of products in the first recall has already been published.

Ms Inkster said it was hoped that this would be the last recall. To date in New Zealand, more than 1800 products have been recalled. However because the first two New Zealand recalls were the same as the TGA recalls in Australia, some products on the list were not sold in New Zealand."

"NZFSA has been working around the clock to get the recall of these products sorted out and we are hoping we now have included the vast majority of products sold in New Zealand that are manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals or have ingredients that were manufactured by Pan," Ms Inkster said.

"We have received about 1500 calls to our dietary supplements helpline from people concerned about products they may have been taking. Thousands of people have also visited our website and we are also responding to inquiries through that. Our helpline 0800 NZFSA1 (0800 693 721) will be open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week until further notice."

Folic Acid

"As well as the recalls we are aware that there have been media reports in Australia claiming pregnant women have been taking substandard folate supplements. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has rejected the claims and said pregnant women have no cause for alarm," Ms Inkster said.

"In New Zealand we are advising pregnant women who have been taking Pan Pharmaceuticals products, including supplements that contain folate, that appear on the recall list to stop taking them. However, not all dietary supplements in New Zealand are implicated in the Pan Pharmaceuticals recall. Anyone with any concerns about their health should contact their doctor."

Ends

For further comment contact Carole Inkster, 04 463 2505 or 021 241 2455 or Sharon Williams, Senior Communications Advisor, 04 463 2528 or 021 193 6405 (NZFSA).

Timeline:

• Monday, 28 April. Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration suspends the licence of Pan Pharmaceuticals because of serious concerns about the quality and safety of products it manufactures, and orders the recall of 219 products manufactured by them and sold under their brand. New Zealand is advised late Monday afternoon and begins looking into the situation.
• Tuesday, 29 April. The NZFSA begins investigating and contacts the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Pan Pharmaceuticals and the National Nutritional Foods Association which includes representatives from NZ suppliers. NZFSA issues a privileged media release advising of the recall in Australia and advising that NZFSA is investigating.
• Wednesday, 30 April. NZFSA advises that none of the 219 products recalled in Australia are sold in New Zealand. The Therapeutic Goods Administration issues its second recall late Wednesday of another 449 products in Australia. This list includes products sold in New Zealand. The list also contains products sold under different brand names.
• Thursday, 1 May. The Minister for Food Safety Annette King orders the recall of those 449 products in New Zealand. The TGA issues a third recall in Australia. The NZFSA increases phone lines into its 0800 number.
• Friday, 2 May. The Minister for Food Safety Annette King issues a second recall in New Zealand of products manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals following TGA's third recall. NZFSA extends the hours of its helpline to operate between 8am to 8pm seven days a week. The Authority compiles a list of products being sold in New Zealand manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals. Information is supplied by New Zealand suppliers, the National Nutritional Foods Association and the Direct Sellers Association.
• Saturday, 3 May NZFSA staff compare lists of recalled products to establish whether all products available in New Zealand have been recalled. Call centre receives hundreds of calls.
• Sunday, 4 May Minister for Food Safety Annette King issues a third recall notice of more than 700 products after lists compared. This list includes different batches of some products that have appeared in previous recalls.