China Gets Serious about Drug and Food Safety
by Richard Daverman, PhD
ChinaBio Today
Government Will Increase Inspections
China reacted to recent scandals by announcing a crackdown on unsafe drugs and foods. By 2010, the government pledged to increase the controls placed on medicines and foods, whether they are imported or exported, and to increase random testing.
The government promised to provide reports on inspections that involve 90% of all foods and medications. It also said that it would investigate all the reported incidents of problems in this area, but the government set the more modest goal of recalling only 80% of all the products on which recalls were issued.
China has come under increasing pressure from international authorities after pet food was found to contain melamine, a chemical, which caused many pet deaths and brought about one of the largest pet food recalls in history. Close on the heels of that incident, toothpaste from China was found to contain diethylene glycol. The tainted toothpaste had found its way to the US and Central America. In May, the same chemical was found in syrup in Panama, causing 100 deaths.
Because China is dependent on the export trade, it has a great interest in reassuring international regulators and the public at large about the safety of its products. So its move toward greater regulation was not a big surprise. But the government did not give details about whether – or how much – new money would be allocated to put teeth into the new regulations.
The inspection initiative is just one indication that China is serious about assuring quality. Last week, a Chinese court handed down a death sentence for Zheng Xiaoyu, the deposed head of the Chinese FDA, for taking bribes in exchange for approving drugs. Zheng had been the only head of the Chinese FDA from its inception in 1998 until 2005. When the corruption was uncovered, the agency had to re-check 16,000 drugs that had been approved under Zheng’s regime.
The death sentence was a very dramatic statement that the Chinese government is serious about this issue.
Source: ChinaBioToday.com
RELATED READING:
- Food Safety: FDA Communications During Crisis
- Melamine Creep
- Why is the FDA Regulating Dog Food?
________________________________
ChinaBio Today
Government Will Increase Inspections
China reacted to recent scandals by announcing a crackdown on unsafe drugs and foods. By 2010, the government pledged to increase the controls placed on medicines and foods, whether they are imported or exported, and to increase random testing.
The government promised to provide reports on inspections that involve 90% of all foods and medications. It also said that it would investigate all the reported incidents of problems in this area, but the government set the more modest goal of recalling only 80% of all the products on which recalls were issued.
China has come under increasing pressure from international authorities after pet food was found to contain melamine, a chemical, which caused many pet deaths and brought about one of the largest pet food recalls in history. Close on the heels of that incident, toothpaste from China was found to contain diethylene glycol. The tainted toothpaste had found its way to the US and Central America. In May, the same chemical was found in syrup in Panama, causing 100 deaths.
Because China is dependent on the export trade, it has a great interest in reassuring international regulators and the public at large about the safety of its products. So its move toward greater regulation was not a big surprise. But the government did not give details about whether – or how much – new money would be allocated to put teeth into the new regulations.
The inspection initiative is just one indication that China is serious about assuring quality. Last week, a Chinese court handed down a death sentence for Zheng Xiaoyu, the deposed head of the Chinese FDA, for taking bribes in exchange for approving drugs. Zheng had been the only head of the Chinese FDA from its inception in 1998 until 2005. When the corruption was uncovered, the agency had to re-check 16,000 drugs that had been approved under Zheng’s regime.
The death sentence was a very dramatic statement that the Chinese government is serious about this issue.
Source: ChinaBioToday.com
RELATED READING:
- Food Safety: FDA Communications During Crisis
- Melamine Creep
- Why is the FDA Regulating Dog Food?
________________________________
posted by Nico at
9:48 PM
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