Sales of herbal remedy suspended after 3 deaths

China has suspended the sale and use of an injectable herbal remedy after three people died and three others suffered adverse reactions, AP reported. The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) said the six people suffered "serious ill effects" after being injected at a Yunnan hospital with an extract from an herb called Ciwujia made by Wandashan Pharmaceutical. The SFDA isolated two batches of the remedy and urged nationwide reporting of any adverse effects. A man who answered the telephone at Wandashan’s marketing department in Harbin said the company had stopped selling the herbal injection and sent the two batches to the SFDA for testing. He said Wandashan has used Ciwujia in its products for more than 30 years without a problem, though the injectable form of the herbal remedy was a relatively new product.