China Executes ex-SFDA Head
by Richard Daverman, PhD
ChinaBio Today
Accepted Bribes to Approve Drugs
Just six weeks after receiving a death sentence, convicted one-time head of the Chinese FDA, Zheng Xiaoyu, exhausted his appeal of the sentence and was executed soon afterwards. Zheng was convicted of accepted bribes totaling $850,000 to approve drugs during his tenure as the first head of the SFDA.
Some 137 of the drug approved under Zheng’s watch did not follow the stipulated regulations; six were determined to be fakes; and one, an antibiotic, caused 10 deaths.
The execution underscored that the Chinese are taking measures against corruption and that it considers the purity of its food and drug supply to be vitally important.
Meanwhile, regulators from the food and drug safety bureaucracies took a new, conciliatory tone in a press conference. Instead of denying that there was any problem with food and drug safety in China - their theme in recent months - they emphasized the difficulty of getting a handle on the problem and the steps they are taking to deal with it. The officials admitted that too many illegal, dangerous substances are still able to evade their regulatory efforts.
In the most negative comment, one official said that the current trend was “not promising,” and that the regulatory infrastructure is not yet equal to the size of the problem
According to the officials, China’s food and drug safety problems are difficult to overcome because there are so many small enterprises making food, drugs and chemicals. There are 200 million farms in China, many of which are less than an acre in size. Some 450,000 companies process food, and the great majority of these have less than 10 employees. Inspectors have a hard time covering so many bases, most of which do not seem particularly important.
By 2010, officials said, the government will have the ability to order recalls and follow up to see that the orders are obeyed. They will also begin switching officials from post to post more frequently, in an attempt to cut down on corruption. And more goods will become subject to inspection, as China attempts to cut down the number of fake products in the marketplace.
Many agencies are charged with policing these enterprises, but because no single agency is given ultimate authority, some companies can make an end-run around pesky rules. The government is hoping to end this problem by establishing greater cooperation between the various regulatory agencies.
RELATED READING:
- China in Need of Good Crisis Counseling
- Beijing Bans Ten Illegally Advertised Drugs
- China Aims to Modernize Traditional Chinese Medicine
ChinaBio Today is a regular contributor to BioHealth Investor
______________
ChinaBio Today
Accepted Bribes to Approve Drugs
Just six weeks after receiving a death sentence, convicted one-time head of the Chinese FDA, Zheng Xiaoyu, exhausted his appeal of the sentence and was executed soon afterwards. Zheng was convicted of accepted bribes totaling $850,000 to approve drugs during his tenure as the first head of the SFDA.
Some 137 of the drug approved under Zheng’s watch did not follow the stipulated regulations; six were determined to be fakes; and one, an antibiotic, caused 10 deaths.
The execution underscored that the Chinese are taking measures against corruption and that it considers the purity of its food and drug supply to be vitally important.
Meanwhile, regulators from the food and drug safety bureaucracies took a new, conciliatory tone in a press conference. Instead of denying that there was any problem with food and drug safety in China - their theme in recent months - they emphasized the difficulty of getting a handle on the problem and the steps they are taking to deal with it. The officials admitted that too many illegal, dangerous substances are still able to evade their regulatory efforts.
In the most negative comment, one official said that the current trend was “not promising,” and that the regulatory infrastructure is not yet equal to the size of the problem
According to the officials, China’s food and drug safety problems are difficult to overcome because there are so many small enterprises making food, drugs and chemicals. There are 200 million farms in China, many of which are less than an acre in size. Some 450,000 companies process food, and the great majority of these have less than 10 employees. Inspectors have a hard time covering so many bases, most of which do not seem particularly important.
By 2010, officials said, the government will have the ability to order recalls and follow up to see that the orders are obeyed. They will also begin switching officials from post to post more frequently, in an attempt to cut down on corruption. And more goods will become subject to inspection, as China attempts to cut down the number of fake products in the marketplace.
Many agencies are charged with policing these enterprises, but because no single agency is given ultimate authority, some companies can make an end-run around pesky rules. The government is hoping to end this problem by establishing greater cooperation between the various regulatory agencies.
RELATED READING:
- China in Need of Good Crisis Counseling
- Beijing Bans Ten Illegally Advertised Drugs
- China Aims to Modernize Traditional Chinese Medicine
ChinaBio Today is a regular contributor to BioHealth Investor
______________
posted by Nico at
6:30 PM
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