Real Rabies, Fake Vaccine in China

Sad story about some bad meds from China.

Check out the end where it says that the Chinese pharma industry is lucrative but poorly regulated. No shit, selling salt water instead of a vaccine for the same price can be quite lucrative.

The Associated Press Monday, December 20, 2010; 8:00 AM

BEIJING — China’s state news agency says eight people have been sentenced to prison terms of up to two-and-a-half years for selling fake rabies vaccines that contributed to the death of one boy.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Monday a court in southwestern Guangxi region sentenced Zhang Dazhi to 30 months’ jail while seven others were handed one-year prison terms.

Xinhua says the eight defendants sold more than 530 doses of fake rabies vaccines between August and December last year. It says the vaccines were made of mostly just water.

Police started investigations after a 5-year-old boy died of rabies in December last year despite receiving six vaccine injections. China’s pharmaceutical industry is lucrative but often poorly regulated.”