Les produits médicamenteux de la pharmacopée traditionnelle chinoise et autres spécialités asiatiques en Polynésie française (matières premières, ingrédients, spécificités, RCP).

The contribution goes over the theme introduced in the previous commu- nication. It notes that within the list of raw material and Chinese specialities authorised in French Polynesia, there are plants with potential undesirable side-effects which are greater than the expected therapeutic benefits, or are on the list of potentially toxic raw materials and/or are forbidden plants in France.

Furthermore, the list of authorised Chinese medications includes many animals and animal parts which can expose the patient to a serious risk of contamination by patho- genic agents, especially where no veterinary certificate was created, or when they are on the Hong-Kong list of potentially toxic materials. Although some of these products are medications in their country of origin, not all are. Indeed, many of them do not come under any judicial classification of pharmaceutical specialties in the countries from which they are imported.

Although these specialties sold in Polynesia do now include a notice in French or English, they do not have a summary of the product’s characteristics. They have no record of iden- tification, of characterization, nor of the purity criterions used for the raw materials, or in the case of animal products, any veterinary certificate. Some improvements are needed. Indeed, after thirty years of exemptive legislation as regards the metropolitan law, tradi- tional Chinese medicine needs to be given its true place within Polynesian society.