RedWine
05-29-2007, 01:44 PM
The Associated Press is reporting China has sentenced a drug regulator to death for bribery and corruption charges.
Former chief Zheng Xiaoyu was accused of allowing substandard medicines to be approved, resulting in at least 10 deaths.
http://www.voanews.com/english/images/Jiang_Yu_29_May_2007_210.jpg
Zheng was found guilty of taking more than $832,000 in gifts and cash during his time as director. His corruption lead 8 companies around drug approval standards, to get their product to market, according to the Associated Press. Zheng was convicted by the No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.
The Associated Press quoted the official Xinhua News Agency as saying about Zheng, (he) "greatly undermined ... the efficiency of China's drug monitoring and supervision, endangered public life and health and had a very negative social impact."
Xinhua went on to say the massive amount of bribes and suffering he exposed the country to, makes death an appropriate penalty, according to the Associated Press.
It was reported by the Associated Press that last year an anti-biotic which Zheng's office approved, was responsible for 10 deaths. It was removed from the market.
During his time as chief administrator, there were 6 different medicines that got approval that were fake. Drug companies were able to apply for drug approvals using fake documents, according to the Associated Press.
China's government wants to set up a recall system. A first for China. Beijing is trying to address the issue of tainted pet food ingredients along with other unsafe Chinese products. They are trying to alleviate the domestic and international alarm being raised over this.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu was quoted by the Associated Press as saying,"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety and security of food." She also said,"We stand ready to work with the international community to safeguard the quality and reputation of the Chinese food industry."
It is not yet known whether Zheng will appeal the sentence. Chinese law says mandates the case to be reviewed by a higher court. The state supreme court has the final say, according to the Associated Press.
In an unusually harsh sentence, a court Tuesday ordered the death penalty for the disgraced former head of the nation's food and drug agency, making a show of China's resolve to crack down on public health violations.
Zheng Xiaoyu was found guilty of taking bribes and dereliction of duty, according to the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Intermediate Court. He's the highest-ranking Chinese official to get the death penalty since 2000.
Zheng was convicted of taking cash and gifts worth about $832,000 to grant approvals for hundreds of substandard medicines, according to the state Xinhua news agency. In several cases during his tenure, from 1998 to 2005, faulty medicines and fake infant formula led to the deaths of infants and adults.
A global alarm has sounded in the past two months over adulterated goods from China, including tainted pet food that killed thousands of pets in North America, toothpaste containing industrial chemicals found in Latin America and Australia and contaminated antibiotics in China's domestic market.
Several analysts said the harsh sentence given to Zheng, 62, was aimed more at Chinese citizens angry over lax regulation and shoddy products than with consumers around the world suddenly edgy over foods and goods originating in China.
"People are increasingly outraged that profit is supplanting safety (in consumer products)," said Russell Leigh Moses, an analyst of Chinese politics based in Beijing. "This is also meant to staunch some of the rising citizen complaints about health care in a general sense. This is to tell that audience, `We hear you.'"
Another observer, Nicholas Bequelin, a Hong Kong-based monitor for Human Rights Watch, the global advocacy group, said that China's leaders want to be seen as resolute in protecting their own citizens' well-being rather than reacting to global jitters.
"I don't think anyone wants to be seen kowtowing to the international pressures," Bequelin said.
State television carried images of a despondent-looking Zheng as bailiffs placed him in handcuffs after the reading of the verdict.
"Zheng was supposed to use the power given to him by the state and the people seriously and honestly, but instead he has ignored their vital interests ... by taking the bribes," the verdict said, according to Xinhua. "This has threatened the safety of people's life and health and has caused an extremely bad social impact."
The punishment was appropriate given the "huge amount of bribes involved and the great damage inflicted on the country and the public," Xinhua said.
One pharmaceutical firm, Kongliyuan Group, paid Zheng bribes in return for approving 277 drugs, mostly profitable antibiotics, according to state media.
In another instance, an antibiotic approved by the State Food and Drug Administration under Zheng's tenure killed 10 patients in a hospital in the southern city of Guangzhou last year before it was pulled from the market.
Following Zheng's removal in 2005, Chinese authorities announced that they were reviewing 170,000 pharmaceutical licensing approvals the agency under him issued.
The verdict against Zheng came as authorities said they'd establish a recall system for unsafe foods in response to recent food safety scandals.
The severe penalty handed to Zheng also coincides with efforts by Communist Party leaders to make a show of fighting corruption ahead of a key party congress this fall, which occurs once every five years to select new senior leaders.
Former chief Zheng Xiaoyu was accused of allowing substandard medicines to be approved, resulting in at least 10 deaths.
http://www.voanews.com/english/images/Jiang_Yu_29_May_2007_210.jpg
Zheng was found guilty of taking more than $832,000 in gifts and cash during his time as director. His corruption lead 8 companies around drug approval standards, to get their product to market, according to the Associated Press. Zheng was convicted by the No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.
The Associated Press quoted the official Xinhua News Agency as saying about Zheng, (he) "greatly undermined ... the efficiency of China's drug monitoring and supervision, endangered public life and health and had a very negative social impact."
Xinhua went on to say the massive amount of bribes and suffering he exposed the country to, makes death an appropriate penalty, according to the Associated Press.
It was reported by the Associated Press that last year an anti-biotic which Zheng's office approved, was responsible for 10 deaths. It was removed from the market.
During his time as chief administrator, there were 6 different medicines that got approval that were fake. Drug companies were able to apply for drug approvals using fake documents, according to the Associated Press.
China's government wants to set up a recall system. A first for China. Beijing is trying to address the issue of tainted pet food ingredients along with other unsafe Chinese products. They are trying to alleviate the domestic and international alarm being raised over this.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu was quoted by the Associated Press as saying,"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety and security of food." She also said,"We stand ready to work with the international community to safeguard the quality and reputation of the Chinese food industry."
It is not yet known whether Zheng will appeal the sentence. Chinese law says mandates the case to be reviewed by a higher court. The state supreme court has the final say, according to the Associated Press.
In an unusually harsh sentence, a court Tuesday ordered the death penalty for the disgraced former head of the nation's food and drug agency, making a show of China's resolve to crack down on public health violations.
Zheng Xiaoyu was found guilty of taking bribes and dereliction of duty, according to the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Intermediate Court. He's the highest-ranking Chinese official to get the death penalty since 2000.
Zheng was convicted of taking cash and gifts worth about $832,000 to grant approvals for hundreds of substandard medicines, according to the state Xinhua news agency. In several cases during his tenure, from 1998 to 2005, faulty medicines and fake infant formula led to the deaths of infants and adults.
A global alarm has sounded in the past two months over adulterated goods from China, including tainted pet food that killed thousands of pets in North America, toothpaste containing industrial chemicals found in Latin America and Australia and contaminated antibiotics in China's domestic market.
Several analysts said the harsh sentence given to Zheng, 62, was aimed more at Chinese citizens angry over lax regulation and shoddy products than with consumers around the world suddenly edgy over foods and goods originating in China.
"People are increasingly outraged that profit is supplanting safety (in consumer products)," said Russell Leigh Moses, an analyst of Chinese politics based in Beijing. "This is also meant to staunch some of the rising citizen complaints about health care in a general sense. This is to tell that audience, `We hear you.'"
Another observer, Nicholas Bequelin, a Hong Kong-based monitor for Human Rights Watch, the global advocacy group, said that China's leaders want to be seen as resolute in protecting their own citizens' well-being rather than reacting to global jitters.
"I don't think anyone wants to be seen kowtowing to the international pressures," Bequelin said.
State television carried images of a despondent-looking Zheng as bailiffs placed him in handcuffs after the reading of the verdict.
"Zheng was supposed to use the power given to him by the state and the people seriously and honestly, but instead he has ignored their vital interests ... by taking the bribes," the verdict said, according to Xinhua. "This has threatened the safety of people's life and health and has caused an extremely bad social impact."
The punishment was appropriate given the "huge amount of bribes involved and the great damage inflicted on the country and the public," Xinhua said.
One pharmaceutical firm, Kongliyuan Group, paid Zheng bribes in return for approving 277 drugs, mostly profitable antibiotics, according to state media.
In another instance, an antibiotic approved by the State Food and Drug Administration under Zheng's tenure killed 10 patients in a hospital in the southern city of Guangzhou last year before it was pulled from the market.
Following Zheng's removal in 2005, Chinese authorities announced that they were reviewing 170,000 pharmaceutical licensing approvals the agency under him issued.
The verdict against Zheng came as authorities said they'd establish a recall system for unsafe foods in response to recent food safety scandals.
The severe penalty handed to Zheng also coincides with efforts by Communist Party leaders to make a show of fighting corruption ahead of a key party congress this fall, which occurs once every five years to select new senior leaders.