India recalls vaccines by tainted China firm

NEW DELHI: India has ordered an immediate recall of rabies vaccines made by a scandal-hit Chinese company, India’s drug regulator said, complaining that it only found out about possible problems through media reports.

S. Eswara Reddy, the drug controller general, said yesterday that it had also put a temporary stop on fresh imports of the vaccine made by Changchun Changsheng after it emerged that the company had fabricated records, in the latest product safety scare to rock China.

“We have stopped the import of the rabies vaccines for now. An investigation is ongoing and till then, the import is prohibited,” Reddy said.

“Whatever vaccines were already imported are being recalled. As per law, the import licence holder should have informed us if there was a problem with the overseas supplier, but he did not do so.”

Rabies kills an estimated 20,000 people in India every year, according to the government’s National Rabies Control Programme.

China’s latest product-safety scandal emerged over a week ago with news that Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology was ordered to cease production of its rabies vaccines.

China said the suspect vaccine did not enter the market, but there were fears that it may have been imported to Cambodia and Egypt as well. — AFP