Former Chinese drug administration chief Zheng Xiaoyu is under
investigation on bribery-taking suspicion by the country's top
disciplinary department.
Zheng was removed from the post as head of the State Food and
Drug Administration (SFDA) on June 22 of 2005 and was involved in a
string of bribery cases, reported the China Business Post on
Saturday.
Hao Heping, former director of the medical equipment department
of the SFDA, was arrested for bribery suspicion merely half a month
after Zheng's leave.
Cao Wenzhuang, former director of drug registration department
of the SFDA, was under investigation in January of 2006. Both of
the two had worked as Zheng's secretary.
Zheng became SFDA director in 1998 when the agency was launched.
He had been devoted to promoting a certification system of Good
Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
In 2002, China adopted a national standard to replace local
standards, which means most of the medicines must be approved by
the SFDA before they go into the market.
Those former officials misused the power to take bribes from
drug manufacturers, which has led to production of low-quality
medicines and caused serious medical accidents.
Xinfu, an antibiotic drug made by a company in east China's
Anhui Province, caused at least ten deaths last year. The SFDA
banned the use of the product and ordered its recall.
SFDA investigations discovered that the company had failed to
observe approved production standards by reducing the sterilization
temperature and shortening sterilization time.
(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2007)