Sacked drug regulator on trial for taking bribes

The former director of China's State Food and Drug Administration went on trial in Beijing Wednesday on charges that included accepting bribes to approve untested medicines, the Financial Times reported. The case involving Zheng Xiaoyu, who was sacked in 2005 and expelled from the Communist Party in March after being targeted by the party's anti-corruption watchdog, is taking place at Beijing No 1 Intermediate Court. Although few details of the charges against Zheng have been published, state media said he had been accused of taking bribes that allowed companies to avoid parts of the drug approval process and of leading a "dissolute life". Earlier this year, the State Council ordered a review of the licenses for 170,000 drugs, most of which were approved during Zheng's tenure. State media has reported that one of the medicines approved was an antibiotic that was withdrawn from sale last year after 10 patients died.