China's drug safety watchdog on Saturday ordered a nationwide overhaul of intravenous and herbal injections following a series of contamination incidents.

The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) said local bureaus have to finish checks on all injections produced within their respective jurisdictions before the end of the year.

The filed information should include how an injection was produced, the ingredients, what equipment was used, package suppliers, adverse reactions, data from quality spot-checks and risk evaluation.

The SFDA hopes the process will rule out hidden safety problems and reduce risks.

In October, three patients in the southwestern Yunnan Province became sick and another three died after receiving an herbal ciwujia injection produced by the Wandashan Pharmaceutical Company. The medicine was contaminated with bacteria after being exposed to rain.

(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2008)