China will set up a national surveillance network to monitor the production, distribution, and use of anesthetic and psychotropic drugs, China's drug watchdog announced in Beijing on Monday.

The network, which has already been piloted in 11 provinces and municipalities, would be fully operational by the end of this year, the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) said.

The administration said the network would enable drug watchdogs at all levels to detect irregularities in the production and distribution of anesthetic and psychotropic drugs to prevent problems at an early stage.

Psychotropic drugs in China fall into two categories. The first covers 47 types of drugs including caffeine, cathinone, and methamphetamine. The second category includes 72 types, such as diazepam and barbital.

The SFDA said the network would only monitor stupefacient and psychotropic drugs under the first category.

The administration said it had also asked local drug safety authorities to intensify checks on key pharmaceutical factories that produced anesthetic and psychotropic drugs.

The SFDA has already set up a national center to monitor drug abuse and asked local drug safety authorities to make emergency response plans for the misuse of anesthetic and psychotropic drugs.

(Xinhua News Agency June 26, 2007)