A nurse prepares a vaccine to be given to a child in a hospital in Beijing, China. File photo/Reuters

China passed a law on Saturday tightening the supervision and management of how vaccines enter the market, requiring stricter management of their production, research and distribution, after a series of safety scandals.

China has pledged to reform and improve vaccine production and management after the scandals, including one last year in which a firm fabricated production and inspection records and sold ineffective vaccines, shaking public confidence in drugs made domestically.

The new law mandates severe punishment for those who participate in illegal practices, such as the fabrication of data, or who impede investigations, the Xinhua state news agency reported.

Reuters