Zheng Xiaoyu, former director of the State Food and Drug
Administration (SFDA), has been expelled from the Communist Party
of China (CPC) for severely violating Party discipline.
The decision was announced by the CPC Central Commission for
Discipline Inspection here on Thursday.
The commission said that Zheng took advantage of the
administration's drug approval powers to obtain bribes and secure
illegal profits for some drug companies, flagrantly disregarding
his duty to supervise the drug market.
"Food and drug administration is closely linked to the health
and safety of the people. As former head of the SFDA, Zheng's
behavior must be severely punished," the commission said.
With the approval of the State Council, Zheng has been dismissed
from all administrative posts.
Zheng was stripped of his membership of the National Committee
of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)
on Wednesday.
Zheng first came under investigation by the anti-corruption
watchdog in December last year.
Well-informed sources said that clues to Zheng's case were
discovered during an investigation of his subordinates.
Hao Heping, one of Zheng's former secretaries, was sentenced to
15 years in prison for bribery in November last year. Cao
Wenzhuang, another former secretary of Zheng, came under
investigation in January of last year.
Zheng was appointed director of the SFDA when it was created in
1998.
In 2002, China adopted national standards for approving
medicines. All new medicines have to be approved by the SFDA before
they can be put on the market.
Zheng also helped promote a certification system called Good
Manufacturing Practice (GMP), which was brought into disrepute by a
series of health scares and corruption scandals.
Under the system, companies must possess a GMP certificate
before they can register new medicines.
The credibility of GMP was seriously undermined last July when
"Xinfu" antibiotic injections, manufactured by Anhui Huayuan
Worldbest Biology Pharmacy Company, caused the deaths of at least
six patients and severe reactions in more than 80 others.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Jan. 24 ordered a thorough
investigation into allegations of corruption against Zheng.
Wen ordered the probe while presiding over a State Council
executive meeting after hearing a Ministry of Supervision report on
Zheng.
"The corruption had a vile effect, as Zheng's offences
threatened public health and tarnished the image of the Party and
the government," the report said.
Zheng, born in December 1949, has worked in the pharmaceutical
industry for 23 years. He was the head of a pharmaceutical factory
in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, until
1994.
(Xinhua News Agency March 2, 2007)