China destroys tonnes of fake, substandard drugs

BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- More than 60 tonnes of fake and substandard pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, worth 40 million yuan (6 million U.S. dollars), were destroyed Tuesday in the country's latest move to crack down on fake medicines.

The destroyed products, confiscated by Beijing's municipal drug supervision bureau, involved some 130 kinds of drugs and 3,000 pieces of equipment, including fake Viagra and capsules for diabetes, according to the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). The SFDA didn't give further details about the products destroyed.

SFDA deputy director Bian Zhenjia said that a large number of drug inspectors had been trained in an effort to regulate the country's drug market.

Last month, the SFDA exposed 31 websites selling fake drugs over the Internet, as part of a crackdown which started in last November.

It is part of a nationwide crackdown on violation of intellectual property rights and the production and distribution of fake and shoddy products