英语新闻:疫苗事件得到控制
Police in east China's Shandong Province have detained 37suspects implicated in a vaccine scandal that has shocked thenation and raised questions over vaccine safety.
Shandong police announced last month that they had arrested a mother and daughter alleged tohave illegally sold improperly stored or expired vaccines worth more than 570 million yuan (88million U.S. dollars) across 20 provincial-level regions since 2011.
Three pharmaceutical companies are being investigated by police, according to the work grouphandling the case.
Of the three, Shandong Zhaoxin Bio-tech Co. has had its good supply practice (GSP) certificate forpharmaceutical products revoked and ordered to halt operations.
The investigation involves 12 vaccines, 2 immune globulin and one therapeutic product.
Meanwhile, the group has ordered a sweeping check-up of local vaccine makers, wholesalers andbuyers.
China's drug regulator has identified nine vaccine wholesalers from six provinces suspected of filingfraudulent reports of buyers' identities.
The China Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it had given local authorities untilFriday to find out who bought the vaccines.
China's top drug regulator, health authorities and police on Monday issued a circular orderingdrug and health departments to trace the manufacturing source and to remove any of thesubstandard vaccines off the market as soon as possible.
It also called for efforts to identify and apprehend the suspects still at large, and a thoroughinvestigation into the supply and sales chain of these inferior products.
Although produced by licensed manufacturers, the quality of the vaccines are questionable as theywere not transported or stored properly.
