China has sentenced six traders found guilty of exporting fake anti-malaria drugs to Nigeria to death.
The Chinese government had apologized to the West African nation and promised a thorough investigation following last June's discovery and seizure by Nigerian officials of some $210,000 worth of the phony drugs. Despite being labeled "Made in India," the drugs were found to have originated in China. Yet Chinese officials have insisted that India bears some responsibility, given its belief that some Indians have also exported fakes to Nigeria.
Nigeria has banned about 30 Indian and Chinese pharmaceutical companies for exporting fake drugs, reports the Times of India. Indian drugmakers have protested, citing the labeling shenanigans. Indian Commerce officials say they had have received complaints about Chinese firms offloading counterfeit drugs as Indian products in South Africa, Ghana, Ivory Coast and other African countries.
The death sentence is likely to be carried out. The Chinese government, in an early effort to reform its drug industry reputation, executed Zheng Xiaoyu, the head of its drug regulatory agency, in 2007 for taking bribes to approve substandard drugs.
- see the Times of India article