Chinese president calls vaccine scandal ‘vile’

SHANGHAI: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday described a vaccine safety scandal as “vile” and “shocking” as police opened a criminal investigation into the firm responsible and its management.

Xi, on a trip to Africa, echoed the calls from Premier Li Keqiang for a thorough investigation and stern action over the latest safety scare to hit the pharmaceutical industry.

“Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology’s illegal production of vaccines is vile in nature and shocking,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The China Food and Drug Administration announced late on Sunday that it had ordered all production stopped at Changchun Changsheng, a subsidiary of one of the country’s largest vaccine makers.

Police in the northeastern city of Changchun, where the company is based, said on social media they had opened a criminal investigation into illegal production of the rabies vaccine and taken the company chairwoman and four subordinates in for investigation.

Premier Li said the latest case had crossed a “line of human ethics” and vowed harsh consequences for any infractions or lax supervision.

The China Food and Drug Administration said last week the problematic rabies vaccine had not left Changsheng’s factory, but the company admitted it had shipped a separate sub-standard vaccine.