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Contaminated Rabies Vaccine Retrieved by Chinese Firm

by Gopalan on Feb 9 2009 11:10 AM

Most contaminated rabies vaccine vials have been retrieved from the public by the Chinese firm that produced it. Now nothing to worry, the company says.

Dalian Jingang-Andi Bio-products Co. in Dalian City, Liaoning Province, in northern China had produced the vaccie last year, but it was found to contain an illegal ingredient by the National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products.

   The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) announced a recall of the vaccine on Friday.

    The company produced 360,200 doses of the vaccine last year, and 321,800 of them have been recovered, said Wang Zeqing, the company spokeswoman.

    There has been no report of vaccine-related illness so far, she added.

    The company has suspended operation since Jan. 14. Only employees engaged in the recall are at work.

    Wang promised thorough cooperation with the ongoing investigation.

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    The nucleic acid ingredient acts as an adjuvant, a substance used to enhance the effectiveness of a drug or a pesticide.

    The AQSIQ said earlier that the nucleic acid materials could not be used in human vaccine, since "the experiment had not entered human clinical trials yet."

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    The company's rabies vaccine accounts for approximately 20 percent of the domestic market, according to the company's website.

    In the far western region of Xinjiang, two people died last month after using a fake diabetes drug, which also contained an illegal ingredient. The drug also sent 11 others to hospital in the region, official news agency Xinhua reported, apparently indicating the authorities were being transparent in their efforts to crack down on any kind of contaminated products.

Source-Medindia
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