Sourcing loratadine tablets from China

Zero duty on loratadine tablets

Heading 3004 covers medicines in measured doses or retail packs. For loratadine tablets, 3004 90 00 00 is the candidate line, subject to confirmation of the exact formulation. The table shows packaging variants under the same tariff line, rather than separate classifications. Give your broker the complete composition and packaging details when confirming the commodity code.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 10 October 2026, all supplied lines carry 0% duty for goods from China. The loratadine candidate line has no recorded anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. For another tablet family within this heading, see the cetirizine tablets guide.

The candidate line attaches controlled-drug, ozone-depleting-substance, CITES and seal-product import controls. Check applicability against the full formulation with your customs broker. Controlled drugs need licensing; listed species need CITES permits; regulated ozone-depleting substances need the applicable licence; seal products face a market ban with limited exceptions. The line also attaches controlled-drug, CITES, mercury and torture-and-repression export controls. Ask your broker to confirm requirements for any onward export.

Specify the authorised loratadine formulation

For routine commercial supply, loratadine tablets need a UK marketing authorisation. Ask MHRA to confirm the applicable licence for import from China into Great Britain and any batch-certification requirements involving the importer's Qualified Person. Before choosing the supplier, confirm the applicable good manufacturing practice requirements for the Chinese manufacturing site with MHRA and check its inspection history.

Specify loratadine as the active ingredient, the authorised strength, excipients, tablet appearance, any score line, pack configuration and approved storage conditions. Agree identity, assay, dissolution and impurity testing against the authorised specification. Review stability evidence, batch records and artwork together. Do not accept a different formulation or manufacturing site simply because the supplier calls it an equivalent tablet.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 500,000 loratadine tablets for a pharmaceutical wholesaler under 3004 90 00 00, invoiced at £80,000 free on board, with £4,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £84,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £84,000, so it is £16,800. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Batch documents: match the certificate of analysis and executed batch records to the loratadine specification. Check identity, assay and dissolution results through the importer's quality system before batch certification.

Tablets and primary packs: check appearance against the agreed specification, look for chipped tablets and powder, and inspect blister seals or bottle closures for damage.

Cartons and leaflets: compare the medicine name, strength, warnings and leaflet with the approved artwork. Match legible batch numbers and expiry dates to the batch documents, and check carton Braille.

Shipment conditions: compare temperature records with the labelled storage conditions. Check seals, carton condition and quantities against dispatch documents before the importer reviews the consignment for release.

What goes wrong

An acceptable sample does not establish that the production batch meets the authorised loratadine specification. Problems include drifting assay or dissolution results, incomplete batch records and a manufacturing site that does not match the authorisation. Treat a change of excipient, tablet shape or primary packaging as a matter for the buyer's pharmaceutical quality team before accepting it.

Packs can arrive with the wrong strength printed on the foil, mismatched batch numbers or an outdated leaflet. Transit damage and missing temperature records create further uncertainty. Keep affected stock separate while the licensed importer investigates, and settle document and artwork discrepancies before release.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.