HONG KONG (AP) -- Hong Kong police have arrested four employees of a drug manufacturer for allegedly lying about the expiration dates on more than 200 over-the-counter medicines, officials said Friday.
Marching Pharmaceutical Ltd. has had its license suspended for one month while authorities look into claims the company was selling medicines with expiration dates that went beyond a product's shelf life, a Health Department spokesman said on condition of anonymity, citing internal policy.
Authorities have also ordered the company to recall 216 products -- including dozens of cough syrups and antifungal creams, he said.
The spokesman said the products being recalled are low-risk drugs and that there was no immediate risk to human health.
Police arrested four employees Thursday in connection with the case. They have been released on bail pending further investigation, police spokesman T.K. Ng said.
Nobody has fallen ill from using the company's products, but the Health Department spokesman said "some of the documents provided by this company are not consistent, so we've asked police to step in and investigate."
Repeated calls to MPL rang unanswered Friday.
