Changchun Changsheng Life Sciences Ltd. Fined $1.3 Billion USD For Vaccine Fraud

The Chinese pharmaceutical producer of rabies vaccine was fined U.S. $1.3 billion for falsifying production records which prompted an international product recall, reports the AP news.

Changchun Changsheng Life Sciences Ltd., which was ordered in July 2018 to suspend vaccine production, also was stripped of its licenses to make vaccines and drugs by the State Drug Administration. 

Changchun Changsheng was found to have used expired materials, mixed different batches of products, failed to test them properly, and destroyed records to conceal its misconduct, according to the October 16 announcement. 

Changchun Changsheng’s chief executive and other company managers were detained in July after an inspection found falsified production and inspection records starting as early as 2014. 

Included in this police arrest was Changchun Changsheng chairwoman Gao Junfang.  

The announcement gave no indication of the status of possible criminal prosecutions. 

Previously, on July 23rd, Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all relevant departments to investigate the scandal, President Xi said. 

“The vaccine company's actions were vile in nature and shocking." 

Changsheng Changsheng is China’s second-largest rabies vaccine maker and is also the country’s second-largest chickenpox vaccine provider, according to its 2017 annual report. 

Over the last 100 years, rabies cases in the United States have changed dramatically. 

The number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has declined to one or two per year. 

This is because modern day prophylaxis has proven nearly 100% successful, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

There are two pre-exposure rabies vaccines approved in the USA: 

• Human Diploid Cell Vaccine (HDCV):  IMOVAX® RABIES
• Purified Chick Embryo Cell Vaccine (PCEC):  RabAvert

A person who is exposed to and has never been vaccinated against rabies should get four doses of rabies vaccine, one dose right away, and additional doses on the third, seventh and fourteenth days. 

If you are traveling to countries at risk for rabies, the CDC has published detailed information.