Drug violators added to city's blacklist

Shanghai's drug watchdog said six businesses and 28 individuals have been added to the city's blacklist for drug-related violations.

Three employees of Shanghai Yushantang Pharmacy Co procured and sold a large amount of traditional Chinese medicine from unknown sources, the Shanghai Drug Administration said.

The medicines were stored at a warehouse in Qingpu District and repackaged and labelled there, it said.

The drugs, 216 types of which were fake, were then sold at some outlets of the company.

The three were sentenced to prison terms ranging from nine months to a year, the administration said.

Their listing means they are banned from drug-related business for 10 years.

The company has had its drug operation license revoked and was fined and had illegal gains confiscated by the Qingpu District Administration for Market Regulation.

Shanghai Qianshande Pharmacy Co, which purchased fake drugs from the company, has been given the same administrative penalty, according to the administration.

In a separate case, Xiong Hongjun, an employee of Shanghai Tianshi Medical Equipment Co, was blacklisted along with two other employees for ordering them to sell substandard artificial crystalline lenses as qualified.

Xiong was jailed for 12 years and fined 5 million yuan (US$705,328).

Based on the city's blacklist regulations, an application for medical device permission from people or companies held responsible in such cases will not be handled in five years, according to the administration.

In another case, Chen Weijie was blacklisted for selling imported Japanese medicines which had not been approved for import on his Taobao shop, and 21 kinds of such medicines imported from Japan totaling 481 boxes were found at an apartment Chen used as warehouse in Xuhui District, according to Xuhui market regulators.

Ma Baohua was blacklisted for selling Viagra and a sex enhancement "drug" to people in Huangpu District as the "drug" was not approved as medicine by authorities and was found to contain sildenafil which is banned in health products in China, according to the administration.