Family members of a man killed by a herbal injection in a hospital in Yunnan Province last year are suing the hospital and the drug producer, demanding compensation of nearly 1.12 million yuan (US$163,552).

The family of Li Zheng, one of three people killed by Ciwujia herbal injections at the Fourth People's Hospital in Kaiyuan City, said the compensation included 500,000 yuan for spiritual consolation, the local Kunming Daily reported today

The family said in the suit to a Kaiyuan court that the hospital and the Wandashan Pharmaceutical Co in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province, should bear full responsibility for Li's death as evidence provided by a local forensic laboratory showed that Li died of the injection containing contaminated ciwujia.

Another four victims whose health was compromised because of the injection also planned to take legal action, the report said.

Li died when his organs failed on October 5 after receiving the contaminated herbal injection the previous day.

Two other patients died in the same week.

Another six patients had adverse reactions after receiving the ciwujia injections at the hospital in October. Their symptoms included vomiting and becoming comatose.

The medicine is extracted from ciwujia, a type of Siberian ginseng. Injections are often used to treat thrombosis caused by weak livers and kidneys. It is also believed to be helpful in treating coronary heart disease, nervous exhaustion and menopause.

The Ministry of Health and the State Food and Drug Administration ordered the drug company to recall all its herbal injection products and report progress daily.

Testing on the ciwujia samples showed the product was contaminated, the Ministry of Health and the administration said in previous reports.

(Shanghai Daily March 20, 2009)