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Dangerous fake drugs from China have been blamed on overseas companies that source raw materials on the local black market.
Says State Food and Drug Administration boss Bian Zhenjia: “The problem lies in the fact that some overseas companies have an implicit deal with underground factories or illegal manufacturers in China.”
He has urged foreign companies to be more responsible and source from legitimate suppliers in China’s flourishing but badly regulated pharmaceutical industry.
Deaths and hundreds of allergic reactions caused by contaminants in the blood thinner heparin were blamed on Chinese suppliers, and led to the product being recalled in the US.
A diabetes drug linked to deaths in China itself was pulled after samples were found containing six times the normal amount of a chemical used to lower blood sugar.
The country’s authorities have been forced to recall other counterfeit and shoddy drugs and herbal medicines, including versions of Viagra.
Copyright Press Association 2009
