It's a crackdown, they promise. Chinese regulators have arrested 774 people over the last two months for violations of food and drug safety rules. They've also destroyed 1,000 tons of counterfeit products [1] and instituted a new quality standard for pharmaceuticals licensing.

Such are the statistics halfway through China's four-month crusade [2] against companies turning out toxic products. Bent on proving to the world that its exports are safe, the country is sweeping up violators [3] and working with American and European officials to devise ways to detect unsafe products before they reach the market.

Given that China supplies active ingredients for drugs--and increasingly is making the drugs themselves--the cleanup is crucial to the drug industry. Without confidence in the Made in China label, consumers won't stake their health on meds manufactured there.

- read about new drug-licensing procedures [4]
- check out the NY Times report on the arrests [5]

Related Articles:
Drug-safety hazards many and growing. Report [6]
Counterfeit drugs plaguing Big Pharma. Report [7]
Ex-Chinese drug official gets 15 years. Report [8]
China drug czar executed for corruption. Report [9]
China to overhaul drug safety regulations. Report [10]