China demands stricter drug management in hospitals

China's top drug watchdog has demanded stricter drug management in medical institutions to provide better protection for consumers. In a statement issued Monday, the State Food and Drug Administration said it recently issued a circular urging all hospitals and clinics to standardize their purchases, storage, allocation and use of pharmaceutical drugs. Medical institutions should keep a detailed account of information regarding the drug's supplier, manufacturer, batch number, amount and price for at least three years, the administration said. Hospitals should establish systems to ensure drugs are well-stored for quality protection and to closely monitor expiry data information, according to the statement. The administration said medical institutions should immediately terminate use of any drugs found to be of low quality or with safety risks and report the case to drug authorities. Drugs made by hospitals should be strictly used within the institution and never circulated to other hospitals without prior approval from provincial or central drug administration agencies, it said.