China's food and drug watchdog has revoked the production licenses of five drug manufacturers since last July.

According to the State Food and Drug Administration, Qiqihar No.2 Pharmaceutical Factory in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province made fake drugs that caused four deaths and many users to have prostrate kidneys.

Guangdong Baiyi Pharmaceutical was reported to make hemoglobin which was infected by a virus carried by the donator.

The administration revoked the production licenses of the factories as well as three others in south China's Fujian, central China's Henan and north China's Hebei Provinces.

The administration has also withdrawn the Good Manufacturing Practice(GMP) certificates, a symbol of favorable performance in the whole drug-making process, from 128 drug makers mainly in Jilin, Henan, Hainan, Sichuan and Anhui provinces.

According to Bian Zhenjia, an official with the administration, the main task of the watchdog in the last six months of this year is to increase the number of GMP inspectors in pharmaceutical factories and monitor the production quality of narcotic drug makers across the country.

(Xinhua News Agency July 7, 2007)