Posted on 07/10/2007 3:06:16 AM PDT by Tall_Texan
BEIJING (AP) - China executed the former head of its food and drug watchdog on Tuesday for approving untested medicine in exchange for cash, the strongest signal yet from Beijing that it is serious about tackling its product safety crisis.
The execution of former State Food and Drug Administration director Zheng Xiaoyu was confirmed by state television and the official Xinhua News Agency.
During Zheng's tenure from 1998 to 2005, his agency approved six medicines that turned out to be fake, and the drug-makers used falsified documents to apply for approvals, according to previous state media reports. One antibiotic caused the deaths of at least 10 people.
"The few corrupt officials of the SFDA are the shame of the whole system and their scandals have revealed some very serious problems," agency spokeswoman Yan Jiangying said at a news conference held to highlight efforts to improve China's track record on food and drug safety.
Yan was asked to comment on Zheng's sentence and that of his subordinate, Cao Wenzhuang, a former director of SFDA's drug registration department who was last week sentenced to death for accepting bribes and dereliction of duty. Cao was given a two-year reprieve, a ruling which is usually commuted to life in prison if the convict is deemed to have reformed.
.....
Zheng, 63, was convicted of taking cash and gifts worth $832,000 when he was in charge of the State Food and Drug Administration.
His death sentence was unusually heavy even for China, believed to carry out more court-ordered executions than all other nations combined,
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
Chinese State Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Yan Jiangyang speaks at a press conference in Beijing Tuesday July 10, 2007. Yan said that corrupt officials in the SFDA are the "shame of the whole system and their scandals have revealed some very serious problems". The press conference came on the day SFDA chief Zheng Xiaoyu was executed after being convicted of taking bribes to approve flawed medicine blamed for several deaths. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)
In China, executing the head of an agency is known as “quality control”. Heck, at least they didn’t execute him by feeding him their tainted dog food.
Have you checked if they sent him to the dog food plant?
“You give us bad press, we kill you”.
Before anyone mentions it, yes, I see the story has already been posted. Sorry. I did check...
thats what they do to their own people
just brining joy to the world for the rest
Wonder what they’d do to a former NSA who got caught, say, shoving classified documents down his or her pants?
Was this for getting caught or for the crime itself?
Any mention of improvements in oversight?
One man overrode the entire system?
Who was complicit with him and who is protected by his silence?
You want to buy a kidney? Cornea? Heart? Fresh! Still warm!
There is a rumor going around that Mexicans captured in New Mexico wake up back across the border missing kidneys
This story has got to be wrong.
Marx taught us all that if we employ his system of government, greed will disappear, because greed is a construct of Capitalism.
No one would steal or accept a bribe in a communist state.
DINAST
(Do I need a sarcasm tag?)
At least they have real accountability, not like here.
His family should expect a bill for the bullet.
Not just in New Mexico but as far north as Illinois, where I live too. I have a second cousin whose friend's mother-in-law's brother received a new kidney and liver. He doesn't care if they are from a Mexican, he's proud to get them.
This practice is becoming more prevalent all the time. I only wish there were some ways to warn our undocumented worker friends of this.
I don’t know what it is about the picture of that woman,
but she kinda looks scary....am I imagining it? But it seems
like she has a detached look, kinda like reporting what’s
on the menu at a bulimic conference.
“Ah, yes. Quality control is important in China, we are
looking at ways to improve compliance. Oh, and yes. We
executed the chief of SFDA. Next question please.”
She makes me worried about Big Sister, not Big Brother.
These people are just so twisted. That is not going to add one ounce of confidence to the mind of the consumer.
I think the Clinton's call it "damage control" - Vince Foster, Ron Brown, etc.
China executed the former head of its food and drug watchdog on Tuesday for approving untested medicine in exchange for cash, the strongest signal yet from Beijing that it is serious about tackling its product safety crisis.
Gee, ya think? 
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