中國打擊假藥犯罪 近2000名嫌疑人被捕

Chinese police said Sunday they seized more than $182 million of counterfeit pharmaceuticals last month in the latest attempt to clean up a food and drug market that has been flooded with fakes.

中國警方週日說，上月繳獲了價值11.6億元的假冒僞劣藥品，這是中國政府試圖整頓本國假冒產品氾濫的食品藥品市場的最新行動。

Around 18,000 police across the country detained nearly 2,000 suspects, China's public security ministry said in a statement Sunday. The detentions and seizures, which occurred in late July but were announced Sunday, included drugs that are typically sold on the regulated market for patients with diabetes, high blood pressure and even rabies, the statement said, noting that the counterfeit drugs likely contained harmful, toxic substances.

中國公安部週日發表公告說，調集全國約1.8萬名警力，共逮捕了近2,000名嫌疑人。公告說，繳獲的假藥中包括那些通常在受管制市場上出售的針對糖尿病、高血壓甚至是狂犬病等患者的藥品，並且指出這些假藥中可能含有有害、有毒物質。這次打擊行動發生在7月底，但8月5日才公佈。

It wasn't clear from the statement whether the drugs were meant for the domestic or international market.

公告沒有明確表示，這些假藥是銷往國內還是國際市場。

China's government frequently reports detentions and seizures to demonstrate its dedication to overhauling the country's scandal-ridden food and drug markets, which threaten public trust and social stability. While this crackdown is one of the largest in recent months, in November 2011 authorities said they seized $30 million worth of counterfeit drugs and arrested 114 suspects.

中國政府經常稱，抓獲了造假嫌疑人並繳獲了假冒產品，以此顯示自己整頓本國醜聞不斷的食品藥品市場的決心。食品和藥品安全不僅威脅着民衆對政府的信任，也危及社會穩定。這次打擊行動是近幾個月來規模最大的行動之一。2011年11月，中國有關部門說繳獲了價值3,000萬美元的假藥，逮捕了114名嫌疑人。

China is one of the world's largest producers of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, according to a report by the London-based International Policy Network, a think tank that focuses in part on pharmaceutical issues. Some counterfeit drug ingredients have in the past been exported for use overseas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that many Chinese drug suppliers provided contaminated ingredients for the blood thinner heparin, which in 2008 led to the deaths of 80 people and the allergic reactions of hundreds of others in the U.S.

倫敦智庫國際政策網(International Policy Network)的報告顯示，中國是世界上最大的假藥生產國之一。這個智庫的研究重點之一就是藥品問題。一些僞劣藥物成分曾從中國出口海外。美國食品藥品監督管理局(U.S. Food and Drug Administration)曾發現，很多中國藥品供應商對血液稀釋劑“肝素”提供過受污染的藥物成分，此事導致美國2008年80人死亡，數百人產生了過敏反應。

Chinese officials are trying to protect the pharmaceutical market, as China's own universities and pharmaceutical companies are investing in the development of future drugs. Foreign companies such as Roche Holding AG +0.06% and Pfizer Inc. PFE +1.51% also have invested heavily in the country over the past few years.

隨着中國高等院校和本土製藥公司投資於未來藥物的發展，中國官員正在努力保護國內醫藥市場。羅氏公司(Roche Holding AG)和輝瑞製藥有限公司(Pfizer Inc.)等外國企業過去幾年也在中國大舉投資。

Sales of pharmaceuticals in China are expected to hit $115 billion by 2015, nearly tripling from $42 billion in 2010, according to data from market researcher IMS Health.

據市場研究機構艾美仕(IMS Health)統計，預計到2015年中國市場的醫藥銷售額將達到1,150億美元，相比2010年的420億美元將增加近兩倍。

Drug sales have become a problem spot in China recently. Many provinces across the country have created bidding systems in which drug companies win hospital and pharmaceutical contracts by promising quality drugs at the lowest prices, pressuring drug manufacturers to produce at the lowest cost possible while preserving their profits.

醫藥銷售近來在中國成了一個熱點問題。很多省份都制定了醫藥招標系統，製藥公司首先要承諾自己的產品質量合格，然後價格最低者才能贏得醫院等的藥物合同。這就給製造公司帶來了壓力：在維持利潤的同時要以最低成本進行生產。

The price squeeze has had unintended consequences, people in the industry say. In April, China's drug regulator suspended the sale of 13 drugs using capsules allegedly made with excessive chromium levels. The capsules were made from leather scraps containing industrial gelatin that uses chromium as part of the tanning process, according to China's state-run China Central Television.

業內人士說，這種價格壓力帶來了始料未及的副作用。今年4月，中國藥品監管機構叫停了13種膠囊藥物的銷售，據稱，這些膠囊含鉻量超標。據中國國有電視臺中央電視臺(China Central Television)報道，這些膠囊是用含有工業明膠的皮革下腳料生產的，製革廠在鞣製皮革時要使用含鉻的化學制劑。

Public security officials are aware of the problem. 'The crime of making fake drugs is still far from eradicated, and criminals are coming up with new schemes, becoming craftier and better able to deceive,' the public security statement said.

中國公安部官員已經意識到了這個問題。中國公安部的這則公告說，假藥犯罪遠未根除，犯罪手法也出現新的特點，隱蔽性、欺騙性更強。