The State Food and Drug Administration on Friday said it will launch thorough inspections of stimulant producers and importers as part of its efforts to secure food and drug safety for the Olympics.

"We will launch thorough checks of the production and management of protein assimilation preparation and peptide hormones nationwide," administration spokeswoman Yan Jiangying said.

Only wholesalers with management permits granted by the SFDA can sell stimulant products.

In addition, businesses engaged in importing and processing stimulants must also receive permits from the administration, Yan said.

Illegal producers and dealers will be severely dealt with and harshly punished, she said.

The administration's monthly press conference also set out its agenda for the year ahead.

Yan said the body will "step up its efforts in the regulation and improvement of the country's drug quality standards".

This will include the revision of quality standards for drugs in 2,000 categories, the revision and improvement of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) standards and the regulation and improvement of quality standards for 400 kinds of high-risk injections.

Meanwhile, the country will speed up the establishment of standards for TCM, including upgrading technical standards, and establishing a quality control mechanism combining TCM raw materials, production techniques and testing indexes.

(China Daily February 2, 2008)