Faulty DPT vaccine total doubles to 500,000

STATE Council investigators discovered that Changchun Changsheng Life Sciences Ltd produced a total of nearly 500,000 defective DPT vaccines.

DPT refers to a combination of vaccines against three infectious diseases: diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus.

China’s drug regulator in July accused Changsheng of selling 252,600 doses of ineffective DPT vaccines to inoculate children.

Further investigations found that the company had produced an additional substandard batch of DPT vaccines, raising the total to 499,800 doses.

The investigation team will step up efforts to probe related vaccines, pledging to hold officials neglecting regulatory responsibilities accountable.

The vaccines were sold to Shandong and Anhui provinces, and 76.2 percent of children who had used the first batch, labeled “201605014-01,” were revaccinated.

Health authorities have now made plans for those subjected to the second batch of vaccines, labeled “201605014-02,” to renew their vaccinations.

In October, the DPT vaccine produced by Changsheng was found to be defective. The company’s DPT vaccine production has since been suspended.

China began spot checks of vaccine makers after Changsheng was found to have falsified data for a rabies vaccine and manufactured the ineffective vaccine for Chinese babies.

Authorities have arrested 18 people at the company, which is based in Changchun, capital of northeast China’s Jilin Province, and the shares of its controlling shareholder have been frozen.