China executes food and drug administrator

[JaJae]

China executes ex-food and drug chief

By ALEXA OLESEN, Associated Press Writer 34 minutes ago

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.

"We should seriously reflect and learn lessons from these cases. We should step up our efforts to ensure food and drug safety, which is what we are doing now and what we will do in the future," Yan said.

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, and indicates the leadership's determination to confront the country's dire product safety record.

Fears abroad over Chinese-made products were sparked last year by the deaths of dozens of people in Panama who took medicine contaminated with diethylene glycol imported from China. It was passed off as harmless glycerin.

Yan said she did not have any information about whether the Chinese manufacturer, Taixing Glycerin Factory, and the Chinese distributor, CNSC Fortune Way, had been punished.

"We will try to get more information from the department concerned and we will release it to you," Yan said. She wouldn't elaborate.

China admitted last month that it was the source of the deadly chemical that ended up in cough syrup and other treatments but insists the chemical was originally labeled as for industrial use only. Beijing blames the Panama traders who eventually bought the shipment for fraudulently relabeling it as medical-grade glycerin.

In North America earlier this year, pet food containing Chinese wheat gluten tainted with the chemical melamine was blamed for the deaths of dogs and cats.

Since then, U.S. authorities have turned away or recalled toxic fish, juice containing unsafe color additives and popular toy trains decorated with lead paint.

Yan said the food and drug administration was working to tighten its safety procedures and create a more transparent operating environment. The administration has already announced a series of measures to tighten safety controls and closed factories where illegal chemicals or other problems were found.

But Yan acknowledged that her agency's supervision of food and drug safety remains unsatisfactory and that it has been slow to tackle the problem.

"China is a developing country and our supervision of food and drugs started quite late and our foundation for this work is weak, so we are not optimistic about the current food and drug safety situation," Yan said.

Chinese officials have already said the country faces social unrest and a further tarnished image abroad unless it improves the quality and safety of its food and medicine.

The government has faced increasing pressure from its international trading partners to improve quality controls after a series of health scares attributed to substandard or tainted Chinese food and drug exports.

The list of food scares within China over the past year includes drug-tainted fish, banned Sudan dye used to color egg yolks red, and pork tainted with clenbuterol, a banned feed additive.

China has also stepped up its inspections of imported products and said some U.S. products are not safe.

In the latest case, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday that a shipment of sugar-free drink mix from the United States had been rejected for having too much red dye.

Last week, China's food safety watchdog said almost 20 percent of products made for consumption within China were found to be substandard in the first half of 2007. Canned and preserved fruit and dried fish were the most problematic, primarily because of excessive bacteria and additives, the agency said.

China executes ex-food and drug chief - Yahoo! News

Cliffs: FDA Chief steals money and pushes through false drugs. China executes him.

This is a unique execution. In America, I doubt he would have been put to death.

What do you guys think about his execution, good or bad? I think it sets a strong message to not do things like this and he was responsible for the deaths of many. I wouldn't be opposed to an American committing the same crime getting the death penalty, but I'm not sure I would push for it.

[Linzyhop]

this is why communism works in some countries. they don't put up with shit that more democratic societies would tolerate (at least not putting him to death)... although personally I think it's sweet justice.

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by Linzyhop

although personally I think it's sweet justice.

I think sweet justice would have been overdosing him on some of those drugs he allowed through.

[Ardentfrost]

Umm... I mean, that's very overkill. However, it is testament that they are not out to poison America and whatnot.

However, this certainly isn't an advantage of communism over capitalism/democracy. It doesn't matter what type of government you have, people in governmental positions of power with little to no oversight is a bad idea.

[David Octavius]

Originally Posted by JaJae

China executes ex-food and drug chief - Yahoo! News

Cliffs: FDA Chief steals money and pushes through false drugs. China executes him.

This is a unique execution. In America, I doubt he would have been put to death.

What do you guys think about his execution, good or bad? I think it sets a strong message to not do things like this and he was responsible for the deaths of many. I wouldn't be opposed to an American committing the same crime getting the death penalty, but I'm not sure I would push for it.

In America the worst that would happen is the FDA chief would be forced to resign, there is a real lack of accountability going on in our government (it been this way for years - both democrats and republicans), very few offenders get punished because government is so huge bureaucratically (and its process) it is almost impossible to know exactly who did what and of course they would not be forthcoming with info (see alberto gonzo and the justice department). Execution is a bit much though.

Its funny that we let government set the moral compass when they don't practice was they preach. Its either because they feel WE must be at a higher standard in order for society to function properly or they use it as a way of control, telling us what is the right thing to do.

The former reason (that we should be held higher) makes no sense because it can be argued quite well that they as the leaders have much more power and influence that we can ever have (as individuals) and what they do has a greater impact therefore they should be held to a higher standard. As for the other reason, that of control, well that seems me as more of an unconscious thing rather than a consciouses one, they feel that are in a position to make things better the way THEY see it - consequently that means we must give up some power to them to allow them to do such things but unfortunately the road to ruin has alway been paved with good intentions. Either way accountability is paramount

[SpicyMcVoodoo]

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

Umm... I mean, that's very overkill. However, it is testament that they are not out to poison America and whatnot.

However, this certainly isn't an advantage of communism over capitalism/democracy. It doesn't matter what type of government you have, people in governmental positions of power with little to no oversight is a bad idea.

How was it overkill? He knowingly allowed deadly products into the market, when it was his job to stop them, so that he could make a buck. As a result, a lot of completely innocent people died.

He's worse than a lot of murders we execute in America. Just because he kills with a suit and tie on doesn't make him any less culpable.

[RMNIXON]

Originally Posted by Linzyhop

this is why communism works in some countries. they don't put up with shit that more democratic societies would tolerate (at least not putting him to death)... although personally I think it's sweet justice.

I know I feel better!


But I never did get sick either.......


How about another form of incentive? When you have a market with many products and don't have to buy government brand X no matter how shitty most people will "not" buy the brand that poisons people or even dogs. Works every time!

[Ardentfrost]

Originally Posted by SpicyMcVoodoo

How was it overkill? He knowingly allowed deadly products into the market, when it was his job to stop them, so that he could make a buck. As a result, a lot of completely innocent people died.

He's worse than a lot of murders we execute in America. Just because he kills with a suit and tie on doesn't make him any less culpable.

I guess if you think a penalty of death should be handed out willy nilly, then ok. He wasn't the only person involved in the poisoning though. I could see imprisonment since people died... if they hadn't, just for accepting money I could see fines. But put to death when he wasn't directly making the poisonous materials?

Seems overkill to me.

[Donkey®]

I guess the next time China is accused of lax policies we'll remember this.

[Kytro]

I am opposed to execution as an archaic method of dealing with problems. Obviously this corruption was not sanctioned

[6SpeedTA95]

I have mixed feelings about this.

If for examples someone in the US pushed through a weightloss drug for example due to kickbacks. Lets say the drug when taken as prescribed via the bottle never killed someone but some folks were OD'ing and then the FDA official were busted I would NOT be for the death penalty. Why? Because those dieing would be using the drug improperly to begin with. I would OD on vitamins if I wanted, that wouldn't be someone else's fault. If however, people were dieing taking the recommended dosage of such a drug I do not think I would be against the death penalty...

[SpicyMcVoodoo]

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

I have mixed feelings about this.

If for examples someone in the US pushed through a weightloss drug for example due to kickbacks. Lets say the drug when taken as prescribed via the bottle never killed someone but some folks were OD'ing and then the FDA official were busted I would NOT be for the death penalty. Why? Because those dieing would be using the drug improperly to begin with. I would OD on vitamins if I wanted, that wouldn't be someone else's fault. If however, people were dieing taking the recommended dosage of such a drug I do not think I would be against the death penalty...

For example, 10 babies died of malnutrition because they were fed baby formula which had no nutritional value. That's pretty friggin despicable.

[motivez]

China executes way too many people IMO, but I don't know that I have a problem with this guy, as he essentially contributed directly to the deaths of many people.. putting the lives of so many people in danger is one of the more "reasonable" applications of the death penalty.

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

Umm... I mean, that's very overkill.