(JA)5,000 products altered as mad-cow safeguard

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5,000 products altered as mad-cow safeguard

 

March 29, 2001

Yomiuri Shimbun

 

Since the government banned the use of bone or tissue taken from cows raised

in " risky nations " in certain medical and nonmedicinal products, it has

received more than 5,000 applications from companies seeking approval for

changes to the composition of their products, ministry sources said

Wednesday.

 

The ban was a precautionary measure against " mad cow " disease, which has

spread across Europe.

 

Most of the medicines and other products are Chinese medicines or treatments

for improving skin complexion.

 

The firms will change some of the products' constituents and clarify their

origin.

 

In December last year, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry banned

pharmaceutical companies from using in medicines, nonmedicinal treatments

and medical instruments constituents taken from cows coming from countries

where mad cow disease has occurred or countries where the disease is likely

to occur. The number of specified countries totaled 29.

 

The ministry also banned the use in medicines of tissue from the placentas,

brains, bone marrow, eyes and other bodily parts of cows from all countries.

The pathogenic organisms that cause mad cow disease are believed to thrive

in these body parts.

 

The ministry urged all pharmaceutical companies using such material in their

products to change the composition of such products to exclude the material

within three months.

 

Applications for government approval of about 3,000 medicines, about 2,000

nonmedicinal treatments and about 100 medical instruments--all partially

altered--have been submitted to the ministry via municipal governments.

 

Copyright The Yomiuri Shimbun