China Tightens Drug Industry Controls

Form December, Chinese drug manufacturers and wholesalers will be required to obtain central government approval as part of new policy to tighten control of the drug industry, reports the China Daily newspaper. The new policies are being drafted by the State Pharmaceutical Administration to safeguard patients' health and ensure sound development of the industry, deputy director Shi Huan was quoted as saying.

New producers and wholesalers, which have until now received permits from provincial authorities, will have to go to the Administration and the Ministry of Health for approval. The factories, some of which only duplicate products without developing new drugs, will have to meet international standards. Fake and substandard medicines have flooded into China through unlicensed dealers eager to make money, the report notes, and lax controls by provincial authorities have increased the numbers of drug companies and wholesalers.