China disciplines more than 80 officials linked to major vaccine scandal
- Four officials from the China Food and Drug Administration, including former deputy director Wu Zhen, have been handed over to prosecutors
- Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology was fined US$1.3 billion in October
China’s corruption watchdog on Saturday said it had disciplined more than 80 officials linked to a vaccine scandal last year that inflamed public fears over the safety of domestically produced drugs.
Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology – a major Chinese manufacturer of rabies vaccines – was slapped with a US$1.3 billion fine in October after it was found to have fabricated records.
Four officials from the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), including former deputy director Wu Zhen, have been handed over to prosecutors, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement on Saturday.
State-run news agency Xinhua detailed the allegations against Wu including nepotism and taking bribes. He has also been expelled from the Communist Party, it said.
“Being ‘ruthless to the people’, Wu allegedly abused his power in drug regulation, severely jeopardising the state’s supervision over drugs,” Xinhua said, citing the corruption watchdog.