Police in central China crack phoney capsule case

Police in central China's Henan province have recently cracked a case in which counterfeit asthma capsules were sold via telephone or mail, the People's Daily reported on Saturday. Local police and drug regulator found the names of manufacturers and qualification codes of six capsules, mostly used for the treatment of asthma, arthritis and rheumatism, were fabricated. Following the case, the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has warned the public to be cautious against underground drug sales channels. The case is the latest phoney drug scandal uncovered by local police after a raid on an illegal drug production and sale network in October that ended up with the seizure of 190 million yuan (29.9 million U.S. dollars) worth of counterfeit drugs. Chinese authorities have announced several major crackdowns this year after safety scandals broke out involving items ranging from drugs to wine. Among them was a high-profile national campaign starting November last year to crack down on the violations of intellectual property rights and the production and distribution of fraudulent and shoddy products.