Regulator fines vaccine scandal firm 9b yuan

China’s drug regulator has slapped penalties worth 9.1 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) on Changsheng Bio-Technology for a vaccine scandal.

Penalties included a fine and the confiscation of illegal earnings.

The State Drug Administration and Jilin Food and Drug Administration also banned 14 executives of Changsheng BioTechnology from working in the drugs business, the administration said on Tuesday.

The company was accused in July of falsifying data for a rabies vaccine and manufacturing an ineffective vaccine for babies, sparking widespread consumer outrage.

The agencies said the company’s eight illegal practices include using outmoded solutions to make vaccines, destroying original production records and fabricating production records.

People disabled by Changsheng’s fake vaccine will receive 200,000 yuan in compensation, and the families of those who died from receiving it will each be given 650,000 yuan, according to a document issued by the State Drug Administration, National Health Commission and the provincial government of Jilin on October 12.

Changsheng’s annual operating income increased 52.6 percent to 1.553 billion yuan in 2017, according to its 2017 report.

According to China’s regulations, schools must check children’s medical records before admission.

If they find children failed to obtain required vaccinations, the school must report them to the local disease control agency.