The Ministry of Health on Wednesday demanded daily reports about the suspect "Xinfu" antibiotic injection, which had allegedly provoked six deaths by Tuesday.

A notice released by the ministry demanded that all provincial health departments report cases of adverse reactions to the clindamycin phosphate glucose injection by 4 PM each day. The reports should cover the 24-hour period up to noon on the day of the report, the notice said.

The notice requires medical institutions at all levels to report "Xinfu"-related cases to provincial drug monitoring centers and provincial health departments as quickly as possible.

The ministry banned the use of the drug, produced by the Anhui Huayuan Worldbest Biology Pharmacy Co, a subsidiary of Shanghai Worldbest Co Ltd, on August 3.

Local health departments have been urged to take emergency control measures, and to supervise the implementation of the ban in every single medical institution.

"Officials will be held accountable if slack supervision of the recall and control work leads to more adverse reaction cases," says the notice.

The antibiotic has been blamed for killing six people so far.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2006)