China halts sale of Sun Pharma drug used to treat dementia

SHANGHAI, Jan 27 (Reuters) – China’s drug regulator has ordered India’s Sun Pharmaceutical Industries to halt the import, sale and use of a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia, according to a notice published on Monday.

The National Medical Products Administration said a recent remote audit found deficiencies in the company’s manufacturing processes, including preventing contamination and ensuring the quality management department fulfilled its duties.

The authority banned the sale of Sun Pharma’s rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate capsules.

A spokesman for Sun Pharma, India’s largest drugmaker by revenue, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to Sun Pharma, alleging “significant violations” of “current good manufacturing practice” regulations for drugs produced at the same manufacturing facility in India, according to the US regulatory agency’s website.

One study showed that Rivastigmine capsules were used as a treatment for dementia in China.

(Reporting by Andrew Silver; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)