SFDA chief: China "capable" of drug safety

The Director of China's State Food and Drug Administration has issued a public statement insisting that the country is "capable of safeguarding drug safety for its people." Shao Mingli was speaking at the launch of the agency's first "white paper" about the status of drug supervision in China.

Mr Shao said that there had been a shift in recent years, as the population becomes wealthier, from concerns over the quantity of medicines available to their quality. He noted: "in the past, what people were concerned about was whether they have drugs to cure their diseases, but now what they are concerned about is which drug is better and safer."

The paper makes a clear distinction between the achievements made after China entered its reformist age, under Deng Xiaoping in 1978. The document's authors state that "China has not only reversed the situation of inadequacy of medical services and drugs, but has also remarkably elevated its guarantee capability regarding the quality and safety of drugs."