Chinese Checkers

  • by: |
  • 06/01/2007
As any assistant district attorney will tell you, the "some other guy did it" defense generally means "guilty."

Now, it seems, China is blaming Panama for the deaths of 51 people caused by cough syrup containing Diethylene glycol -- a chemical commonly used in antifreeze and brake fluid. But, it seems, there is plenty of blame to go around.

This is just the latest example of China-as-hub for the international trade in counterfeit API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient). And connecting the dots to the issue of "safe" drug importation is pretty obvious.

Here's the story off the AP wire:

China blames Panama for deadly tainted drugs

Papers altered to say glycerin was for medical use, Chinese official claims

BEIJING - Businesses in Panama, not China were "mainly responsible" for passing off an industrial chemical as a medical ingredient leading to the deaths of at least 51 people, a senior official in China's product-inspection agency said Thursday.

Wei Chuanzhong, vice minister of the Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said Chinese companies sold the industrial solvent called 'TD glycerin' to Spanish companies who then sold it to Panamanian companies. The product was then used to make cough syrup and other medicine.

"The Panamanian business people are mainly responsible because they changed the scope of use and shelf-life of this product," Wei said.

The deaths in Panama, which began last year, have dramatically added to a growing international alarm about the safety of food and medicines exported by China.

Wei acknowledged that the Chinese manufacturer, Taixing Glycerin Factory, and the Chinese distributor, CNSC Fortune Way, "engaged in some misconduct," because they used the name TD glycerin for a mix of 15 percent diethylene glycol and "other substances."

Diethylene glycol is a chemical commonly used in antifreeze and brake fluid.

Misleading name

"They used the very confusing name of TD glycerin, which will mislead people to think it's glycerin," said Wei. "The markings on the package also used the name glycerin instead of TD glycerin."

But he said the Panama traders bore the brunt of the responsibility for the deadly substance ending up in medicine.

"The Panama trader changed or altered the paperwork to say the substance was medical glycerin that met U.S. standards for use in medical products and changed the shelf life of the already expired product from one year to four years," Wei said. "The responsibility here is very clear."

He said the Chinese investigation found that the Chinese side made it clear in their export paperwork that the material they were selling was for industrial, not medical, use. Wei said Taixing had been punished for its misbehavior but when pressed for details, he said the company was still being investigated. He said China would not continue to allow the use of the name TD glycerin, but no ban has been formally announced.

Glycerin, which is often processed from animal fats and occurs naturally in the human body, is a sweet liquid that can give cough syrup and other remedies thickness while preventing them from dissolving in water. It is used in many kinds of medicines all over the world.

The first documented poisonings were reported in October, but Panamanian authorities said there may have been earlier cases that went undetected. Fifty-one people died after taking the tainted medications and 68 were hospitalized.

Why isn't Senator Bernie Sanders asking, "Where are the dead Panamanians?
CMPI

Center for Medicine in the Public Interest is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization promoting innovative solutions that advance medical progress, reduce health disparities, extend life and make health care more affordable, preventive and patient-centered. CMPI also provides the public, policymakers and the media a reliable source of independent scientific analysis on issues ranging from personalized medicine, food and drug safety, health care reform and comparative effectiveness.

Blog Roll

Alliance for Patient Access Alternative Health Practice
AHRP
Better Health
BigGovHealth
Biotech Blog
BrandweekNRX
CA Medicine man
Cafe Pharma
Campaign for Modern Medicines
Carlat Psychiatry Blog
Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry: A Closer Look
Conservative's Forum
Club For Growth
CNEhealth.org
Diabetes Mine
Disruptive Women
Doctors For Patient Care
Dr. Gov
Drug Channels
DTC Perspectives
eDrugSearch
Envisioning 2.0
EyeOnFDA
FDA Law Blog
Fierce Pharma
fightingdiseases.org
Fresh Air Fund
Furious Seasons
Gooznews
Gel Health News
Hands Off My Health
Health Business Blog
Health Care BS
Health Care for All
Healthy Skepticism
Hooked: Ethics, Medicine, and Pharma
Hugh Hewitt
IgniteBlog
In the Pipeline
In Vivo
Instapundit
Internet Drug News
Jaz'd Healthcare
Jaz'd Pharmaceutical Industry
Jim Edwards' NRx
Kaus Files
KevinMD
Laffer Health Care Report
Little Green Footballs
Med Buzz
Media Research Center
Medrants
More than Medicine
National Review
Neuroethics & Law
Newsbusters
Nurses For Reform
Nurses For Reform Blog
Opinion Journal
Orange Book
PAL
Peter Rost
Pharm Aid
Pharma Blog Review
Pharma Blogsphere
Pharma Marketing Blog
Pharmablogger
Pharmacology Corner
Pharmagossip
Pharmamotion
Pharmalot
Pharmaceutical Business Review
Piper Report
Polipundit
Powerline
Prescription for a Cure
Public Plan Facts
Quackwatch
Real Clear Politics
Remedyhealthcare
Shark Report
Shearlings Got Plowed
StateHouseCall.org
Taking Back America
Terra Sigillata
The Cycle
The Catalyst
The Lonely Conservative
TortsProf
Town Hall
Washington Monthly
World of DTC Marketing
WSJ Health Blog