China to intensify crackdown on fake drugs

BEIJING - The State Food and Drug Administration has promised more efforts to prevent the manufacture and sale of counterfeit drugs following a five-month campaign that led to the uncovering of some 30,000 cases.

The cases, which involved some 277.37 million yuan ($43.5 million), were investigated from January to May. Among them, 669 cases were transferred to police departments for further investigation, according to figures revealed Friday.

"Many counterfeit drug cases featured online advertisements and sales, underground production workshops and transfers through postal express. Many occurred in drug stores and medical institutions in rural areas," said SFDA head Yin Li.

According to Yin, future crackdowns will focus on websites advertising and selling fake drugs, the management of postal express services and the supervision of market circulation, especially the procurement of medicine in rural stores and health centers.

Also on Friday, the SFDA issued a circular urging tightened supervision over food served in rural school cafeterias and breakfast inns.

"The overall safety situation of our country's catering services in rural areas is good. However, most rural caterers are scattered and small in size, which poses great difficulties for supervision," said the circular.

The SFDA urged tightened approval procedures for rural inn and restaurant licenses. Local food and drug departments have been ordered to launch more frequent inspections in rural school canteens and restaurants.