China outraged at vaccines firm that faked documents relating to child rabies jabs

Premier says latest incident 'crossed moral line' as public angered by activities of drug producers

Regulators have ordered Changsheng to recall the vaccine and halt production (AP)

A scandal involving a Chinese pharmaceutical company that faked documents relating to a rabies vaccine for babies has prompted outcry in the country.

Shares in Chinese drugmakers and biotech firms plummeted across the board on Monday as the country’s premier Li Keqiang attacked Changsheng Biotechnology for crossing a “moral red line”.

An investigation by authorities found the firm falsified production documents on the vaccine, which was given to infants as young as three months.

While there have been no reports of children taken ill, regulators have ordered Changsheng to recall the vaccine and halt production.

The case has stoked fears among the Chinese public, who have grown weary with a slew of scandals in the past decade relating to food and drug safety.

On Monday, a hashtag created to discuss the issue on microblogging site Sina Weibo had been read more than 600 million times by mid-afternoon, despite reports that censors had been removing posts.

“All my friends are freaking out with this vaccine case, everyone is scared. It really reflects big loopholes and issues with China’s food and drug safety regulation,” wrote one user under the handle 1988 Cheng Hongyu.

“Yesterday it was milk powder, today vaccines. What will it be tomorrow?” another wrote, referring to a major incident in 2008 when several infants died after the industrial chemical melamine was added to milk powder to raise protein levels.

Premier Li called for an immediate investigation into the Changsheng case in a statement posted on the government’s website late on Sunday, urging severe punishment for those implicated.

“We will resolutely crack down on illegal and criminal acts that endanger the safety of peoples’ lives, resolutely punish lawbreakers according to the law, and resolutely and severely criticise dereliction of duty in supervision,” he said.

Mr Li added the incident had “crossed a moral red line of the people and must be explained clearly to the public”.

According to the China Food and Drug Administration, Changsheng fabricated production and inspection records, as well as changing preparation parameters and equipment in “serious violations” of the law.

The firm has apologised for the incident and says withdrawing the vaccine from sale will hit its finances hard.

Chinese pharmaceutical companies have been involved in a string of scandals relating to drug production in recent years.

Last week, a regulator in the northeastern province of Jilin said a subsidiary of Changsheng sold more than 250,000 substandard DPT vaccines to inoculate children against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus.

Another company, Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, was also implicated in the DPT vaccine issue.

In 2016, Chinese police brought down a criminal organisation that had been selling around $90m (£69m) worth of illegal vaccines on the black market.

Additional reporting by Reuters