| ■ China shuts down leukemia drug maker | 2007.12.15 |
| SHANGHAI, China - China's food and drug safety agency has revoked the license of a company responsible for making tainted leukemia drugs blamed for causing leg pains and partial paralysis among dozens of patients. State-owned Shanghai Hualian Pharmaceutical Co., a unit of China's biggest drug maker Shanghai Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., will also be fined the highest amount allowed under law and profits from the sale of the contaminated drugs will be confiscated, the State Food and Drug Administration said in a statement on its Web site seen Thursday. Some Shanghai Hualian executives were detained by police on suspicion they deliberately withheld information about violations of production standards during the investigation, the SFDA's statement said. A report in the state-run newspaper Shanghai Daily said the maximum fine for a breach of regulations was only $4,000. Shanghai city government officials said they were cooperating with the SFDA in resolving the case. |