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posted by martyb on Wednesday July 25 2018, @02:49AM   Printer-friendly
from the ἐπὶ-δηλήσει-δὲ-καὶ-ἀδικίῃ-εἴρξειν dept.

Bitter pill: China vaccine scandal sparks fury, roils markets

A vaccine scandal in China, which has prompted angry reactions from citizens fed up with safety scares, is sending ripples across the local drug market and threatening Chinese ambitions to play a larger role in the global pharmaceutical space.

Shares in Chinese vaccine makers and biotech firms fell across the board on Monday after Premier Li Keqiang slammed Changsheng Biotechnology Co for having crossed a moral red line and called for swift action.

Changsheng has been found to have faked production documents related to a rabies vaccine that is given to babies as young as three months, underscoring the difficulties China faces in cleaning up the image of the world's second-biggest drug industry as it aims to promote its vaccines globally.

While there have been no known reports of people being harmed by the vaccine, the regulator ordered Changsheng to halt production and recall the product after the scandal emerged earlier this month.

The case has gone viral in China, where sensitivity over food and drug safety is extremely high after a slew of scandals over the last decade. It was among the most hotly discussed topics on microblogging website Sina Weibo on Monday.


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 25 2018, @03:23AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 25 2018, @03:23AM (#712141)

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pharmaceuticals-europe-heart/europe-recalls-generic-heart-drug-made-in-china-on-cancer-fears-idUSKBN1JV2D8 [reuters.com]

    A number of high blood pressure and heart drugs containing an ingredient made in China are being recalled across Europe after an impurity that may cause cancer was found in them, officials said on Thursday. The European Medicines Agency said the recall followed identification of the impurity in the active substance valsartan manufactured by Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals, a company in Linhai, China.

    Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said the appearance of the impurity - N-nitrosodimethylamine - came after a change in the process for making valsartan at one facility. Valsartan was originally developed by Novartis and the Swiss company marketed it as Diovan, but it is now off patent and is used in a number of generic medicines.

    Same blood pressure med has also been recalled in USA. I didn't see this in the news at first...but yesterday heard from a friend who has been taking Chinese sourced valsartan for a number of years (started when it was originally made by Novartis). Now they have to worry about getting cancer, sucks.

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