"Fraudulent" (Lianhua Qingwen capsules)

“Fraudulent” by Loz City is made of Lianhua Qingwen capsule packets, which are cast indefinitely in resin. This artwork captures a moment in history - specifically, COVID-19 history.

In short, due to fraudulent claims about Lianhua Qingwen’s ability to treat/prevent COVID-19, the FDA had to issue warnings to various companies about their false claims, and even advised consumers NOT to purchase or attempt to use this medicine to treat or prevent COVID-19. Shipments of this medicine continue to be seized as they enter America from China, due to the fraudulent COVID-19 claims (though, to be clear - the medicine itself is not illegal. It is the “misbranding” that is prohibited).

For more details about the significance of “Fraudulent” and the Lianhua Qingwen capsules, please see below:

What are these Lianhua Qingwen capsules, and how are they related to COVID-19?

Lianhua Qingwen was developed by the Chinese company Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co., and is a traditional Chinese medicine originally used for the treatment of influenza and other respiratory diseases.

In January 2020, the Chinese government approved Lianhua Qingwen as a treatment for mild to moderate COVID-19. Lianhua Qingwen continues to be widely distributed for COVID-19 treatment/prevention to residents of many major cities in China.

So what’s the problem?

Questions about the drug's efficacy and potential conflicts of interest have begun to surface over the past few years. For one, the most prominent scientific promoter of the medicine, a pulmonologist named Zhong Nanshan, was discovered to have undisclosed prior investments in large stakeholdings in corporations producing Lianhua Qingwen.

In 2020, a law was proposed to ban criticism of the medicine in China: Read more here.

In April 2022, a prominent Chinese influencer named Wang Sicong was banned from Weibo (China's version of Twitter) after writing that the World Health Organization never recommended Lianhua Qinwen as COVID-19 treatment, and that Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co. should be investigated. Read more here.

What fraudulent/misleading claims have been made about Lianhua Qingwen in the United States?

As early as 2020, companies marketed Lianhua Qingwen as an effective COVID-19 treatment and/or for COVID-19 prevention. Some websites even went as far as to falsely claim that the drug was "FDA Approved" as COVID-19 treatment.

How did the FDA Respond to the fraudulent claims?

The FDA advises consumers NOT to purchase or use Lianhua Qingwen - stating that it has not been approved or authorized by FDA and is being misleadingly represented as safe and/or effective for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19.

The FDA has issued warnings to websites for fraudulently selling Lianhua Qingwen as COVID-19 treatment/prevention: Read Warnings Here.

Additionally, shipments from China of Lianhua Qingwen have been seized in the U.S., as they were in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) - which prohibits the introduction of any food, drug, device, tobacco product, or cosmetic that is adulterated or, in this case, misbranded: Read more here.

This artwork comes in a basic black frame, with glass in the frame. With frame, artwork is 13in x 13in. All artworks are signed by the artist and include a LOZ CITY Certificate of Authentication.

Please Note: Color of pills vary with lighting/photography. All LOZ CITY artwork is 100% handmade, so all artwork is subject to minor imperfections and variations. No two pieces are exactly the same.