Chinese police seize £222m of fake drugs

Counterfeit medicines and raw materials worth more than Yuan2.2 billion (£222 million) have been seized by authorities, according to the Chinese news agency Xinhua. Over 1300 people were detained by Chinese police in a nationwide operation to tackle a problem that has dogged the country and its fledgling pharmaceutical industry.

The fake drugs were being sold online on 140 websites that have now been shut down. The medicines were for treating a range of illnesses, including heart conditions. A consignment of fake anxiety drugs from China was seized in Switzerland just two months ago.