Shanghai Daily | 上海日报 -- English Window to China News

CHINA'S drug watchdog yesterday denied reports on the country's alleged large exports of performance-enhancing drug ingredients, saying most China-made ingredients that can be used in making the drugs are legally exported.

"Most of these products were exported with company contracts, export licenses and warrants from the importing countries, and their use was clearly stated," said Wu Zhen, deputy head of the State Food and Drug Administration.

According to Wu, active pharmaceutical ingredients, instead of preparations ready for use, make up the majority of China-exported drugs, while few preparations were sold to developed countries.

"If China's ingredients are used to produce performance-enhancing drugs and illegally sold after being legally exported, the importing countries should bear the responsibility," Wu said.

United States media reports said China was a major source of doping-agent raw materials after the US Justice Department launched a crackdown on steroids, human-growth hormones and other doping agents late last year.

"We need the support of other countries in fighting doping as it is a challenge to the whole world," Wu said.

He said China has strict laws on the production and export of doping agents and the state has stepped up anti-doping measures since 2007.

A nationwide crackdown on the illegal supply of doping agents was launched in the second half of last year as China strove to protect its Olympics from drug abuse.

Wu said that China has punished 125 medicine companies for illegally producing and distributing doping agents since launching the crackdown in the lead-up to the 2008 August Games.

"We welcome objective coverage and international supervision on China's anti-doping work," said Wu. "We won't accept, we even firmly oppose, irresponsible and distorted reports."

He said the US Drug Enforcement Administration has notified China of 37 Chinese enterprises which it said had illegally sold doping-agent ingredients to America.

Investigation by China's Ministry of Public Security shows 13 of the involved companies had exported such ingredients but most of them were doing legal business, some even with the permission of the DEA, said Wu, adding the exceptional illegal cases had been handled.

Among the remaining 24, 17 companies were not registered and had false identities, making further inquiries impossible.