Dubai recalls Thai herbal inhaler after confirming contamination

Dubai: The Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) has ordered the withdrawal of the “Hong Thai Herbal Inhaler (Yadom Thai herbal nasal inhaler)" from the UAE market after laboratory tests confirmed microbial contamination in several locally distributed batches. The move is part of EDE’s efforts to safeguard public health and ensure the safety of patients and the wider community.

The decision follows a warning from Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration about contamination detected in one batch of the product. In response, the Emirates Drug Establishment said it immediately began testing all other batches available in the local market to verify their safety.

Laboratory analyses conducted by the Establishment’s Quality Control Laboratory on market samples confirmed microbial contamination levels exceeding the permissible limits for inhalation products set by international pharmacopeial standards. 

Such contamination, EDE said, poses potential health risks to users. As a result, it ordered the withdrawal of all batches of the product from circulation, not just the one identified by Thai regulators.

The establishment said the precautionary measure is part of its ongoing commitment to protecting public health and ensuring the quality and safety of all pharmaceutical products sold in the UAE. The withdrawal is being carried out in coordination with municipalities and other regulatory authorities to ensure the product’s complete removal from all points of sale, including online platforms.

EDE said it is closely monitoring the recall process to ensure its full implementation in coordination with the relevant authorities. It also urged members of the public to stop using the product and to safely dispose of any units they may have.

These measures fall within the framework of the establishment’s strategy to strengthen the national pharmaceutical security system and ensure the sustainable availability of medicines in accordance with the highest standards of quality and safety. 

EDE stated that it is developing an integrated regulatory framework based on proactive risk analysis and continuous monitoring of pharmaceutical supply chains, both locally and globally, to enhance the UAE’s ability to respond swiftly to any issue that may affect drug availability or safety.

The establishment added that it operates within a comprehensive national framework, in cooperation with federal and local health entities, to formulate policies and legislation that support pharmaceutical security, while adopting digital and AI technologies to track pharmaceutical products from registration to delivery to the end user.