China said late Tuesday that it was overhauling its food and drug safety regulations and would introduce nationwide inspections.
According to the New York Times, “The announcement, from the State Council, the nation’s highest administrative body, is the strongest signal yet that Beijing is moving to crack down on the sale of dangerous food and medicine and trying to calm fears that some of its exports pose health problems.
The government said in its announcement that it planned by 2010 to place new controls on food and drug imports and exports and to step up random testing on medicines. It also said that it would have information on inspections of 90 percent of all food products, although it was unclear how that would work.
Food and drug safety experts have complained for years about a flawed system that has led to food scares or mass poisonings tied to counterfeit or substandard medicines on the market.â€
Here’s a link to the complete article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/business/worldbusiness/07safety.html?hp
If our political leaders are truly concerned about drug safety (as so many are and as many others claim to be) we should hold China’s feet to the fire and make sure these reforms (which sound good) are implemented – and with alacrity.
According to the New York Times, “The announcement, from the State Council, the nation’s highest administrative body, is the strongest signal yet that Beijing is moving to crack down on the sale of dangerous food and medicine and trying to calm fears that some of its exports pose health problems.
The government said in its announcement that it planned by 2010 to place new controls on food and drug imports and exports and to step up random testing on medicines. It also said that it would have information on inspections of 90 percent of all food products, although it was unclear how that would work.
Food and drug safety experts have complained for years about a flawed system that has led to food scares or mass poisonings tied to counterfeit or substandard medicines on the market.â€
Here’s a link to the complete article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/business/worldbusiness/07safety.html?hp
If our political leaders are truly concerned about drug safety (as so many are and as many others claim to be) we should hold China’s feet to the fire and make sure these reforms (which sound good) are implemented – and with alacrity.
