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The fake drugs were made to look like well-known brands |
Police in
China have arrested more than 1,900 people in a crackdown on the manufacture
and sale of fake medicine, authorities said.
The
country-wide operation began on 25 July, the Ministry of Public Security said
in a statement.
Police
seized products worth 1.16bn yuan ($182m; £117m).
These
included millions of pills made to look like well-known brands used to treat
diabetes, hypertension, skin problems and cancer, it said.
Despite the
arrests, the problem of fake medicine was ''far from being rooted out'',
authorities said.
Drug
counterfeiting had become more ''elusive and deceptive'' as ''criminals have
come up with new methods'' despite efforts to root out production and sale
channels in recent years, they said.
Police said
they found a substance banned by the State Food and Drug Administration in some
of the medicines, and believe that some of the fake drugs could also contain
sedatives and hallucinogens, reports said.
The
ministry warned members of the public to only purchase drugs from hospitals,
pharmacies and trusted vendors, saying that it found advertisements for the
fake products online, on television and in magazines.
It also
promised to reward those with information on drug counterfeiting and gangs.
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