前中國藥品監管局長被判死刑 (China's Drug Regulator Sentenced to Death)

中國官方媒體報導說，前中國藥品監管部門最高官員以腐敗罪被判處死刑。新華社星期二報導說，北京一家法院判定鄭筱萸犯有受賄罪和玩忽職守罪。

鄭筱萸1998年到2005年間擔任中國的國家食品藥品監督管理局局長，他利用審批數以百計種藥物之便接受了至少65萬美元的賄賂，因而被解職。

西方國家衛生部門對中國生產的食品和藥物安全性表達了憂慮。此前，中國制造的劣質寵物食品曾導致美國數以百計的寵物因食物中毒生病和死亡。中國的假藥成份導致了一些巴拿馬人吃藥后死亡。

Chinese state media say the country's top drug regulator has been sentenced to death on charges of corruption. The Xinhua news agency reports Tuesday that a Beijing court found Zheng Xiaoyu guilty of taking bribes and dereliction of duty.

Zheng served as the head of China's Food and Drug Administration from 1998 to 2005, when he was fired for taking at least 650-thousand dollars in bribes to approve hundreds of medicines.

Western health agencies have expressed concern about the safety of Chinese-made food products and medicines after sub-par pet food sickened and killed hundreds of animals in the United States, and a fake medical ingredient caused several deaths in Panama.