Substandard anti-rabies vaccines sold by a Changchun-based company

Another scandal has hit China’s healthcare system. Anti-rabies vaccines produced by Changchun Changsheng Biotech were found to be substandard. The authorities had to recall the product from the market. “The incident is very severe in nature because it has dealt another blow to the public’s confidence in domestically produced vaccines,” said a specialist.

Changchun (AsiaNews/Agencies) – China’s drug watchdog has stopped the sale of rabies vaccine produced by the country’s second largest maker.

A snap inspection in the Changchun Changsheng Biotech laboratories, in Changchun, Jilin province, uncovered forged data and defective vaccines.

The State Drug Administration revoked the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for medical products certificate, which is required for production.

The inspectors found serious violations of a protocol for drug production involving the Vero-cell rabies vaccine.

“The incident is very severe in nature because it has dealt another blow to the public’s confidence in domestically produced vaccines,” said Tao Lina, a vaccination specialist at the Shanghai Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The regulator should punish the company by revoking their production licences and imposing a very hefty fine.”

Changsheng Life Sciences said that it had voluntarily recalled and sealed all the rabies vaccines.

It noted that it had about 23 per cent of the market for rabies vaccines and produced about 3.54 million sets of the shots last year.

According to Changchun Changsheng, its vaccine was registered for use in India, Cambodia and Nigeria by last year. But it was unclear whether any had been exported.

This is not the first scandal involving vaccine in China. In November 2017, 650,000 substandard vaccines against diphtheria, whopping cough and tetanus were pulled.

Some 252,6000 vaccines in the batch had been sold to disease control and prevention centres in Shandong province.

Even in this case, the drug had been produced by Changchun Changsheng Biotech.

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