Urgent warnings have been issued after three fake medicines were found in pharmacies in two Beijing suburbs.

Beijing's municipal medications watchdog issued an urgent notice on Thursday to the city's pharmacies about three over-the-counter medicines: the cold medication Contac NT, the painkiller Fenbid and the antibiotic cefalexin.

The counterfeit drugs were discovered during an investigation by the Beijing Municipal Drug Administration into medicines at two township-level hospitals and two village clinics in the districts of Changping and Fangshan.

Tests showed the medicines, which look like the real things, do not contain approved ingredients and do not meet the relevant national standards.

There have been no reports so far about negative side-effects.

The batch numbers of the fake drugs are 04100672 for Contac NT, 04110509 for Fenbid, both of which are marked with the producer's stamp - Tianjin Smith Kline&French Laboratories Ltd, and 0408091 for cefalexin allegedly made by the Beijing Taiyang Pharmaceutical Industry Co Ltd.

But the two companies have proven that they never produced these batches, according to the drug administration.

The origins of the drugs are still being investigated.

The administration has ordered all of the city's drug sellers, including hospitals, clinics and drug stores, to remove the blacklisted batches immediately if they are found.

The manager of an outlet of Golden Elephant chain pharmacy, surnamed Geng, said his company received the administration's notice on Friday. Geng added that he has not found of the blacklisted drugs in his store.

If any of the fake drugs are discovered, please call the administration at 8397-9558 or 8397-9566.

(China Daily July 18, 2005)