The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7285 p148
7 February 2004

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Consultation letter MLX 296 (PDF 450K)

Ban proposed for herbals containing senecio

The MHRA is consulting on a proposed ban on the sale of unlicensed herbal medicines for internal use that contain plants of the genus Senecio (ragworts) or their extracts.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency asked all herbal interest groups to agree to a voluntary withdrawal of senecio-containing products in March 2002 after a Chinese herbal medicine — qian bai biyan pian — which contains Senecio scandens, was placed on the UK market. However, a number of recent reports show that the product continues to be available, so a legal prohibition is being proposed.

Senecio species contain unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are known to cause potentially fatal veno-occlusive disease.

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