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22 nabbed for producing toxic drug capsules

Xinhua, April 17, 2012

• Authorities in Xinchang county, Zhejiang province, has ordered all capsule manufacturers to suspend production. [Photo: Xinhua]

  
  
  

  Late Sunday night, the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) issued an emergency notice, calling for suspended sales and consumption of a list of drugs that may have been packed into the contaminated capsules.

  The SFDA has instructed local bureaus to monitor the drugs specified in the notice.

  The Beijing Drug Administration has banned sales of the drugs listed by the SFDA since Monday and has begun to conduct inspections of drug manufacturers and drug stores to ensure compliance.

  A similar move has been made by authorities in Zhejiang and a province-wide inspection of all companies that may have been involved in the manufacture of the contaminated capsules is under way, according to the Zhejiang Food and Drug Administration.

  The Chinese Pharmacopoeia sets clear standards for capsule manufacturers and requires drug makers to purchase capsules only from licensed manufacturers, the SFDA notice said.

  The notice said drug manufacturers will face legal consequences if inspection results indicate that they have failed to meet government standards.

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