Drug supervisor is suspended
By Lu Feiran |
April 21, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE drug supervision chief in Xinchang has been suspended as the scandal of toxic capsules, mostly made in the east China county, expands.
The county government said the director, who was only referred to as Luo, was being investigated.
As of yesterday morning, 26 people had been detained by police in Xinchang, Zhejiang Province, with nine of them being arrested, the China News Service said.
Seven capsule companies have been shut down and three have lost their production licenses.
Xinhua news agency said yesterday that two of the companies, Zhuokang Capsule Co Ltd and Huaxing Capsule Plant, had been on the authorities' blacklist last year because of the toxic gelatin problem, but they continued the illegal business.
Kong Dinghong, deputy director of the Xinchang FDA, told Xinhua that 12 capsule manufacturers were found to be using industrial gelatin in an inspection last year, and excessive chromium was found in their raw material and products. The questioned companies were fined, and their raw material and products confiscated.
Kong, however, admitted that punishments were too lenient.
For example, the fines ranged from 20,000 yuan (US$3,170) to 50,000 yuan. With the confiscated material and products, a company would lose at most 100,000 yuan if it failed an official inspection. Meanwhile, the annual value of the output of the Zhuokang and Huaxing plants was around 10 million yuan.
"Three to four tons of capsules made from industrial gelatin would make up for the loss," an anonymous capsule manufacturer told Xinhua.
China Central Television reported last Sunday that several companies in Xinchang manufactured drug capsules with industrial gelatin, which contains excess chromium, a heavy metal harmful to health.
The State Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency notice calling for a halt to the sale and consumption of a list of drugs that may have been packed into the tainted capsules.
The county government said the director, who was only referred to as Luo, was being investigated.
As of yesterday morning, 26 people had been detained by police in Xinchang, Zhejiang Province, with nine of them being arrested, the China News Service said.
Seven capsule companies have been shut down and three have lost their production licenses.
Xinhua news agency said yesterday that two of the companies, Zhuokang Capsule Co Ltd and Huaxing Capsule Plant, had been on the authorities' blacklist last year because of the toxic gelatin problem, but they continued the illegal business.
Kong Dinghong, deputy director of the Xinchang FDA, told Xinhua that 12 capsule manufacturers were found to be using industrial gelatin in an inspection last year, and excessive chromium was found in their raw material and products. The questioned companies were fined, and their raw material and products confiscated.
Kong, however, admitted that punishments were too lenient.
For example, the fines ranged from 20,000 yuan (US$3,170) to 50,000 yuan. With the confiscated material and products, a company would lose at most 100,000 yuan if it failed an official inspection. Meanwhile, the annual value of the output of the Zhuokang and Huaxing plants was around 10 million yuan.
"Three to four tons of capsules made from industrial gelatin would make up for the loss," an anonymous capsule manufacturer told Xinhua.
China Central Television reported last Sunday that several companies in Xinchang manufactured drug capsules with industrial gelatin, which contains excess chromium, a heavy metal harmful to health.
The State Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency notice calling for a halt to the sale and consumption of a list of drugs that may have been packed into the tainted capsules.
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