The Department of Health has allowed Li Chung Shing Tong (Holdings) to resume production and marketing of Po Chai Pills in bottle form. However, the manufacturer has withdrawn its application for registration of the pills in capsule form.

It was ordered to recall its products in March as the capsule form was found by Singaporean authorities to contain the banned drug phenolphthalein and another controlled drug, sibutramine, which are known to cause serious side effects.

Laboratory tests identified 11 tainted samples, all in capsule form, while none of the bottle-form samples were found to contain the drugs concerned.