Deadly vaccines: 570 million yuan of medication ‘illegally sold in China poses risk to users’ lives’: authorities

A mother and daughter have allegedly illegally sold vaccines worth 570 million yuan (HK$680,000) in China since early 2010 that were not adequately refrigerated, which could leave them ineffective and put the lives of people using them at risk, a Chinese news website reported on Friday.

Officials have been urged to trace all the people – both adults and children across 18 provinces and provincial-level cities – who might have used the suspect vaccines to ensure they receive the correct medication and are also compensated, Thepaper.cn reported.

The mother, named in the report as Pang, who is a former doctor, and her daughter, Sun, a medical school graduate, have been detained on suspicion of illegally selling 25 different types of vaccine, the report said.

It quoted a police officer, who is responsible for investigating food, drug and environment related crimes in the city of Jinan, in eastern Shandong province, who said that the provinces where the vaccines were allegedly illegally sold included Hubei, Anhui, Guangdong, Henan and Sichuan.

The two suspects had been charged with illegal business operations and are still awaiting trial according to the report.

Thepaper.cn said Pang, 47, had once worked as a doctor at a public hospital in Heze city, Shandong province.

However, Pang had allegedly continued to sell vaccines illegally until she was detained by police last year, the report said.