China’s vaccine scandal: firm made 500,000 substandard doses, twice as many as first thought, state media says
Follow-up investigation finds Changsheng Bio-tech produced an additional batch of ineffective DPT vaccines
A Chinese drug company produced nearly 500,000 substandard vaccines for babies, roughly double an earlier estimate by authorities investigating a safety scandal, Xinhua reported on Wednesday.
China’s drug regulator in July accused Changchun Changsheng Bio-technology of selling 252,600 doses of ineffective DPT vaccines to inoculate children against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus.
Further investigations found that the company had produced an additional substandard batch of DPT vaccines, raising the total to 499,800 doses, the report said.
“Any violations of the law or regulations by (the company) and personnel will be severely punished. Local authorities as well as departments with supervisory responsibilities will also be held accountable for any dereliction of duty found,” it said.
Changsheng Bio-tech did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The investigation team discovered the first batch of 252,600 DPT doses was sold in the coastal province of Shandong.
