In response to an article published in a magazine about the correlation between aristolochic acid and liver cancer, the US Food and Drug Administration said that not all aristolochic plants contain aristolochic acid. Since 2003, China has taken a series of risk control measures for medicinal materials and Chinese patent medicines containing aristolochic acid, including prohibiting the use of Aristolochia manshuriensis, Radix Stephaniae Tetrandrae and Radix Aristolochiae with high aristolochic acid content, and making clear safety warnings, and strictly managing the varieties of oral Chinese patent medicines containing aristolochic acid according to prescription drugs.

Recently, the reporter interviewed the US Food and Drug Administration, a national news spokesman, about the article on the correlation between aristolochic acid and liver cancer published in Science-Translational Medicine.

Q: What do you think of the article Aristolochic acid and its derivatives related to liver cancer in Taiwan Province Province and other parts of Asia published in Science-Translational Medicine?

A: We have noticed the article "Aristolochic acid and its derivatives are related to liver cancer in Taiwan Province Province of China and other parts of Asia" published in the journal Science-Translational Medicine in June 5438+1October 65438+August. First of all, this is an academic paper, which explains the occurrence of liver cancer in Asian countries and Taiwan Province Province of China. After the publication of the article, it caused widespread discussion in the scientific community, with some agreeing and some questioning. We encourage the scientific community to study and discuss this issue. The duty of food and drug supervision department is to ensure the safety and effectiveness of drugs. According to people's understanding of drugs and diseases, regulatory measures should be adjusted and improved in time to ensure public health.

Q: How to treat the toxicity of aristolochic acid?

A: Aristolochic acid has obvious nephrotoxicity, which can damage renal tubular function and even cause the risk of renal cancer. In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer listed aristolochic acid as a potential carcinogen for 20 12 years, and listed it as a class of carcinogens. So far, there are aflatoxins, tobacco, alcoholic beverages and so on. *** 1 16, which can be found on the government website of the General Administration.