Prevention is the best choice to fight disease. In this sense, vaccines are vital to health. Over the past years, Ebola has broken out in Africa several times, claiming thousands of lives. It now has been contained thanks to a newly developed vaccine. Without it, the disease would keep taking its toll. Nonetheless, even if we have found a way to curb diseases, the right to life is still being put at risk because of human errors.
Children are vulnerable to viruses, so they need vaccines more than anyone else. And it’s hard to imagine who would subject them to a disease-rife world in exchange for dirty money. But this is the case with what’s been happening around in China. A major drug producer, Changchun Changsheng , was found to be fabricating production records for rabies vaccines on 15 July. This scandal has angered every single citizen as it is a matter of life and death, though the company claimed those vaccines had yet to enter the market. Worse, on 20 July, rage was fueled by the announcement that the Changchun Changsheng would be fined because a DPT vaccine to combat diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) for infants was found to be substandard in 2017. Over 200,000 vaccines have been sold to Shandong in Northern China, with well over 10,000 children affected. The vaccine producer is to pay a ridiculously shocking fine of RMB 3.44 million in a stark contrast to its revenue in 2017, at 1.55 billion. More previous scandals which would have otherwise remained unknown have been uncovered. Irritated at this series of news, people call for justice to be done as well as challenging the authority of the state drug administration. The question—what has the watchdog been doing these years— is looming larger and larger in the public mind.
Parents fret over whether their child has fallen prey to a faulty vaccine. They fumble around in the house for a hospital record for vaccines. Some would give a greatly relieved sigh while others would fall into deadly silence.
To solve the problem and restore people’s confidence in domestic vaccines and state regulators, China is tasked with four missions. First, it should increase unannounced inspections, so any wrongdoing can be detected timely and consequently wrongdoers will be deterred. Second, it should follow others such as the US and the EU to introduce harsh penalties. When the price is high enough to pay, everyone will shun crossing the bottom line. In 2017 Johnson & Johnson faced 417 million dollars, for instance, because a woman who claimed she developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson’s Baby Powder. The huge loss will put J & J and other companies off misconducts. Third, opening up the market for domestic and foreign businesses alike could encourage competition, which will, in turn, prompt every company not to risk overlooking the quality of products for fear that it will be squeezed out of the market. Above all, regulation should be made transparent to the public by making clear who conducts the inspection, what the penalties are and any reported cases of adverse drug reaction. If anything goes wrong, it’s easier to hold accountable the ones who fail in their duty or break the law.
Li Keqiang, Chinese Premier, has ordered a thorough investigation into this case and demanded a clear explanation. “The State Council should immediately send a group to thoroughly investigate the production and selling chain of vaccine, to uncover the truth as soon as possible, and any wrongdoing will be severely punished regardless of who is involved.”
Will this incident mark the dawn of an overhaul of the pharmaceutical sector? Or will it disappear as if it never happened as memories fade? It remains to be seen.
