South Korea ordered 120 manufacturers of vitamins and OTC and generic drugs to recall 1,122 products made with talc suspected of containing asbestos.

The companies include Korean drug companies Dong-A Pharm, Hanmi Pharm, Greencross Corp., Choongwae Shin-Yak Corp., Kyung Dong Pharm, and Kwang Dong Pharm, the Korea Food and Drug Administration announced.

The order came this month amid rising public fears about asbestos, which was found in some baby powders and cosmetic products. Asbestos has been tied to severe lung ailments.

A KFDA official said the products include cold medications and vitamins. The affected firms are "all well-known local companies" and no multinational firms were involved, the official said.

Jung Cheol-Won, a Korea Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association spokesman, confirmed the order affected Korean companies that use talc in the absence of specific and clear regulations on its use in pharmaceutical products.

Yun Yeu-pyo, head of KFDA, said while "a modicum of asbestos" in drugs poses little threat of harm to humans, the ban was imposed as a "safety precaution."

"We made the decision to remove the products because it is inappropriate for us to eat any toxic chemical," Yun said during a press briefing.

The regulatory agency has faced criticism for not taking sufficient enforcement action after a study warned of the risk of talc five years ago. KFDA expanded its investigation this year after it found cancer-causing asbestos in baby powder products from eight companies.

KFDA said the government will strengthen import inspections to prevent imports of talc products containing asbestos.

The EU and the U.S. already require that asbestos be removed prior to talc's commercial use. According to FDA's drug ingredient database, talc is approved for Bryan Corp.'s Sclerosol Rx spray and powder for treating oncology patients' malignant pleural effusions, but is not approved as an active ingredient for any nonprescription drugs.

- Peter Chang (pharmasia@elsevier.com)

Korea Bans 1,100 Drugs And Vitamins During Probe Into Asbestos

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