China mulls its first drug-recall system

In the "better late than never" department, China is considering its first drug recall system. Drug makers would be required to initiate a recall within 24 hours after getting notice from the government--and the companies would have to pay for the recalls, too.

If the proposed rules are adopted, they would add some much-needed muscle to the State Food and Drug Administration, which has, of course, been plagued by safety-related scandals. If companies failed to conduct their own recalls, the agency could do it for them--at the cost of a fine three times the value of the drug involved.

- read the International Herald Tribune article

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