Potassium chloride supplement recalled

It may have contained stainless steel particles.

According to a report, the Department of Health today endorsed a licensed drug wholesaler's recall of two batches of a potassium chloride supplement due to a potential quality issue.

The department today received notification from wholesaler Hind Wing Co. Ltd. that the product's manufacturer in Canada found three batches of APO-K Slow-Release tablet 600 mg (registration no. HK-36868, batch no. JP0380 and JP0385) may have contained stainless steel particles.

The particles came from a piece of mixing equipment used to prepare the coating solution.

Although none of the tablets were found to contain metal particles so far, the manufacturer decided to globally recall the three affected batches as a precautionary measure.

Two of the three affected batches under global recall had been imported into Hong Kong, and were supplied to private doctors, local pharmacies and private hospitals. The wholesaler has informed all of them about the recall.

APO-K is an over-the-counter pharmaceutical product used to prevent diuretic-induced hypokalaemia, or potassium deficiency.