Allegations against drug official filed to anti-graft agency

Allegations of price manipulation have been raised against a former director of China's Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), according to a statement by the CFDA.

Lu Qun, an official with Hunan's provincial anti-graft authority, used a verified microblog account to charge Shao Mingli, a leading member of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission and former director of the CFDA, with manipulating the price of herbal medicine.

Lu said the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, under Shao's instructions, changed the name of honeysuckle, a popular traditional herbal medicine, around 2005, which resulted in a drastic dive of the herb's price.

Lu accused Shao of "speaking for interest groups".

Following the price drop, many honeysuckle growers suffered huge losses while intermediary dealers profiteered from low purchasing prices.

Social media has played a large role in China's recent anti-corruption campaign, with websites like Weibo, which require users to register using real names, helping bring public awareness to potential anti-graft cases.

The case has been filed to the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) by its task force based in the CFDA.