Popular herbal inhaler recalled following Thailand health warning
A batch of the widely used Hong Thai Formula 2 herbal inhaler has been pulled from shelves after the Thai Food and Drug Administration found excessive microbial contamination.
Hong Thai Herbal's popular Formula 2 herbal inhaler brand. (Image: Thailand Food and Drug Administration)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
SINGAPORE: The manufacturer of a popular Thai herbal inhaler has recalled a batch of the product after it failed health quality tests due to microbial contamination.
Thailand’s food and drug administration (FDA) said on Tuesday (Oct 28) that a batch of Hong Thai Herbal’s Formula 2 brand of herbal inhaler failed to meet the required standards in microbial contamination tests, specifically microbial counts, combined yeasts and mould counts, and the presence of the Clostridium Spp bacteria.
It also urged consumers to exercise caution when purchasing or using the product.
Hong Thai Herbal said it had recalled the affected batch with the production number of 000332, which was manufactured on Dec 9, 2024, and had an expiry of Dec 8, 2027.
There were 200,000 units in this batch, the manufacturer said, without specifying if the recall was limited to Thailand.
“The company fully acknowledges and accepts the results of the FDA’s inspection with utmost respect,” Hong Thai Herbal said in a statement on Facebook.
“We have already recalled all affected products from the market and are coordinating with the FDA to proceed with the destruction of the recalled batch as soon as possible.”
“The exact date of destruction will be officially announced later.”
Hong Thai Herbal said it has strengthened and upgraded its production processes and added additional quality control steps at every stage, including ultraviolet (UV) sterilisation, to ensure that all future products released to the market are safe, hygienic and compliant with health standards.
“We sincerely apologise to our partners for any inconvenience and to our valued customers for any concern caused,” the company said. “We deeply appreciate your continued understanding, trust, and support.”
In Thailand, anyone who produces a substandard herbal product is liable to imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to 200,000 baht (US$6,170), or both.
Those who sell such substandard herbal products may be jailed for up to 6 months, fined up to 50,000 baht, or both.
Singapore's Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said that though the herbal inhaler can be considered a traditional medicine, and is therefore not subject to the HSA approval for its importation and sale, the authority is nonetheless in contact with the Thai FDA for more information.
"Consumers who have purchased this batch of the product are advised to stop using it," said HSA on Nov 3 in response to CNA queries.
"HSA has also notified popular e-commerce platforms Shopee, Lazada and Carousell on the Thai FDA announcement and has requested that they conduct thorough checks on the availability of the affected batch on their platforms and remove the listings accordingly."
