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A huge scandal involving hundreds of thousands of defective vaccines given to Chinese children shook the world of Chinese medicine in July, leading to multiple arrests.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called the vaccine scandal "vile and shocking" and ordered a "thorough investigation" by both the Food and Drug Administration and Chinese anti-corruption agencies
Changsheng Biotechnology was accused of selling more than 250,000 doses of diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccines that did not meet safety standards. Changsheng was further accused of fabricating production and test records for a human rabies vaccine that was found to be defective.
Terrified parents in Shandong Province, where most of the suspect vaccines were shipped, were informed that it will take time to determine exactly which children were injected with dubious lots or what effects they might have. undergo.
made at least 15 arrests in the case, including the four main goals of Changsheng Biotechnology and its president Gao Junfang, formerly known as the "Queen Vaccine".
Public trust has already been reached because Changsheng was one of the largest vaccine providers in China, and the new scandal was only the latest in a series of vaccines. medical and pharmaceutical embarrassment for the Chinese government. The government's response validated fears of widespread malfeasance in the pharmaceutical industry by virtually crippling pharmaceutical companies and plummeting their stocks.
The outraged response on Chinese social media had the impression of a final straw filed on the back of a deeply frustrated camel. Perhaps most worrisome for the aggressive authoritarian government of Beijing, the public reaction indicated a collapse of trust in government officials and a loss of confidence in Chinese products ranging from medicine to medical care. food and breast milk. ] Wall Street Journal noted that medical malpractice in China was accompanied by rampant corruption, which seems to be spreading everywhere in China despite the government's constant and unrestricted war against it. Changsheng Biotechnology has many political and commercial ties:
The company, based in the Jilin industrial center in northeastern China, was sentenced this week after it revealed that drug authorities in the province were finding vaccines against diphtheria and whooping cough. tetanus did not meet safety standards.
The doses were sold mainly to the government of the eastern province of Shandong. This month, the company sponsored a flu prevention conference in Shandong, attended by more than 400 government officials, according to a local government announcement.
The company spent 582 million yuan in 2017, including promotion and sponsorship meetings.
Corruption has long plagued the Chinese medical system, including money – filled red envelopes that allow doctors to better take care of payments made by drug companies to secure sales.
The Changsheng case recalled the 2016 scandal involving poor storage of vaccines. The main suspect in this case had already been found guilty of illegal sales of vaccines. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang have pledged this week to better control China's vaccine supply, echoing Mr. Li's similar wishes two years ago
. 19659013] WSJ reported that "birth tourism" in the United States is suddenly a hot topic, with Chinese parents plucking $ 500 for organized trips including inoculation of their children by US doctors .
Xi was abroad when the scandal broke out, but the Chinese state media did a big deal on his personal involvement in the case. The Global Times reported on Tuesday that Xi ordered a "thorough investigation" followed by "the serious punishment of those responsible."
The health of the population should always be a top priority Security should be firmly guarded, Xi said.
He described the illegal production of vaccines by Changchun Changsheng Life Science Limited (Changchun Changsheng) as hideous and appalling.
The relevant departments and local authorities must pay close attention and immediately investigate the case to find the truth, said Xi, adding that the investigation should be thorough, severe punishment, responsibility taken seriously and the progress of the record time to meet the concerns of the public.
million. Xi stressed that Party committees and governments at all levels have the responsibility to ensure the safety of medicines. Strong resolve should be found to improve the country's vaccine management system, and every effort should be made to protect people's interests and social security and stability, he said.
The New York Times noted that despite Xi's efforts to appear shocked, appalled, and personally dedicated to drug safety, the Chinese public seems deeply skeptical. A devastating meme floating across the Chinese internet on Sunday quoted Prime Minister Li Keqiang as "resolutely cracking down on all the illegal and criminal acts that are endangering people 's lives" and his almost identical promise of "cleansing" people. medical industry after previous vaccination scandal Based on social media criticism and news reporting, Chinese public doubts the government's ability to conduct an open and transparent investigation, fears the worst culprits will remain politically protected and suspected measures necessary to bring Chinese pharmaceuticals to US standards would increase their price beyond what Beijing is willing to pay.
Human Rights Watch echoed these criticisms on Monday in describing the vaccine crisis as a symptom of Chinese authoritarianism and calling for top-down reforms of the system:
incarcerated all the lawyers who helped the victims in the previous vaccine scandals. From 2006 to 2009, lawyer Tang Jingling represented a group of parents whose children were left permanently disabled after receiving problematic meningococcal vaccines. This would require canceling the five-year sentence that Tang is serving for "inciting subversion". Similarly, lawyer Yu Wensheng dragged into a detention center for false accusations of "subversion". Yu had represented a man detained for seeking redress for his daughter, who became seriously ill after receiving a spoiled vaccine.
Second, stop harassing, detaining and prosecuting the families of the victims of defective vaccines. In July 2015, after receiving vaccinations at the local government's epidemic prevention center in Henan Province, Wang Nuoyi was diagnosed with brain injury and other diseases. In search of justice, his family wrote letters to the government. Authorities reacted by arresting Wang's father for four months in 2017 as well as at least six other family members, and suing Wang's grandmother for "provoking unrest," which resulted in a two years imprisonment. punish journalists for exposing vaccine scandals. In 2010, prominent investigative journalist Wang Keqin was dismissed from the China Economic Times after the paper published his article on mishandled vaccines that resulted in the deaths of four children in the province. from Shanxi. In the midst of the current scandal, while internet users are free to condemn the pharmaceutical company, press articles and social media that show the Chinese government in a critical light continue to be censored.
The vaccine crisis could represent a commercial opportunity for foreign pharmaceutical companies as well as an opportunity for political reform. China currently imports less than three percent of its vaccines, but not only the future of vaccine maker number two Changsheng Biotechnology is seriously questioned, all other Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors have seen their actions drop on Monday. were as important as China's strict controls permit.
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