China mulls illegal drug blacklist

BEIJING - China's drug watchdog on Wednesday invited public consultation on a proposal to blacklist illegal drug producers and sellers.

Companies and individuals severely violating drug and medical instrument-related laws and rules would be documented on a blacklist established by drug administrations, according to the draft regulation published on the website of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

If the draft is approved, their names and pertinent details will be publicized through government websites or media for better public supervision, as well as be provided to departments concerning finance, the environment and commerce as a reference in their planning, bid inviting and procurement of supplies.

The move, cited by the SFDA as an effort to further ensure drug safety, comes after a scandal in April in which it was revealed that poisonous drug capsules made with industrial gelatin were arriving on the market.

The SFDA on May 25 said 254 pharmaceutical enterprises, or 12.7 percent of all capsule makers in the country, were found to be producing such capsules.

Eight categories of individuals and companies would be blacklisted, including those who produce or sell fake drugs, produce medical instruments without business credentials and cause major security incidents with their unlicensed products, under the proposal.

People banned from the drug business for 10 years by law would also be recorded in the blacklist, it added.

Drug administrations would pay special attention to those included on the list and require them to report their quality management periodically, said SFDA spokesperson Wang Lianglan.

Public suggestions are welcomed between June 1 and 6.