Hyundai Pharm recalls top hair-loss drug for containing dementia tablets

A captured image shows Hyundai Pharm's Minoxidil (Korea Pharmaceutical Information Center)

Hyundai Pharm, a South Korean pharmaceutical company, is recalling some 20,000 bottles of Minoxidil, a drug for hypertension that is also widely used for treating hair loss, following a report by a pharmacist that a Minoxidil bottle was found to have contained tablets of the dementia drug, Tamirin, instead of Minoxidil, according to news reports on Sunday.

The company said both Minoxidil and Tamirin bottles are produced at the same manufacturing facility, saying some Tamirin bottles were mistakenly labeled as Minoxidil.

The company said it is waiting to receive disciplinary measures from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

According to the ministry, the Minoxidil bottles that have been recalled were all produced on May 15 bearing serial number 23018. The agency has publicized the recall process to prevent cases of misuse.

Minoxidil is one of Korea's top-selling hair-loss drugs. In the first five months of this year, sales are estimated to have exceeded 2.1 billion won ($1.6 million). A total of 19,991 bottles -- almost 12.5 percent of last year’s sales -- are being recalled.

By Shim Woo-hyun(ws@heraldcorp.com)