CHINA

Ex-Chairwoman of Disgraced Vaccine-Maker Gets Life in Prison Over 2018 Scandal

Published: Sep. 22, 2026 4:23 p.m. GMT+8

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File photo: Gao Junfang

A Chinese court upheld a life sentence for Gao Junfang, the former chairwoman of Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology Co. Ltd., in an appeal ruling over the vaccine-production scandal that brought down one of China’s largest vaccine makers eight years ago.

Gao, born in 1954, was convicted of producing and selling substandard products, commercial bribery, misappropriating corporate funds and bribing an organization, according to the second-instance verdict. The sentences were combined into life imprisonment.

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Chinese court upheld life sentence for Gao Junfang, ex-chair of Changchun Changsheng, over vaccine scandal convictions.
Appellate ruling found no evidence vaccines had substantive quality defects or caused serious harm.
Company bankrupted, fined 9.1 billion yuan; 14 others received prison sentences.

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Who’s Who

Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology Co. Ltd.: Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology Co. Ltd. was a Chinese vaccine maker that collapsed after a 2018 rabies vaccine production scandal involving falsified records and process violations. Its former chairwoman Gao Junfang's life sentence was upheld on appeal. The company went bankrupt, was delisted, and fined 9.1 billion yuan, though no evidence showed vaccines caused serious harm.

Changchun Changsheng Life Science Ltd.: Changchun Changsheng Life Science Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the scandal-hit vaccine maker Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology. Its deputy general manager, Liu Jingye, was sentenced to 7–15 years for producing and selling substandard products related to the 2018 rabies vaccine scandal. The company faced bankruptcy following the incident.

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What Happened When

Before 2018：: Gao Junfang, born in 1954, had a career leading to her role as chairwoman of Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology Co. Ltd.

July 2018：: The scandal erupted when China's drug regulator said Changchun Changsheng had seriously violated pharmaceutical manufacturing standards in the production of freeze-dried human rabies vaccine, including falsifying records; regulators revoked its Good Manufacturing Practice certificate and halted rabies-vaccine production.

July 2018 (days later)：: A widely circulated online article intensified public alarm by suggesting falsified production records could mean vaccines were ineffective.

July 22, 2018：: Regulators disclosed further details, saying the company had fabricated production and product-inspection records and arbitrarily changed process parameters and equipment.

July 23, 2018：: Police in Changchun’s New Area opened a criminal case and took Gao and other executives in for questioning.

July 24, 2018：: Authorities placed 15 people under criminal detention.

July 27, 2018：: A State Council investigation team said the company had deviated from its approved manufacturing process to cut costs and raise production yields.

2018：: The company was hit with a 9.1 billion yuan fine.

July 2018 to November 2019：: The listed company lost more than 23 billion yuan in market value within 16 months.

2019：: Changchun Changsheng went bankrupt, and its Shenzhen-listed firm was forcibly delisted.

Jan. 30, 2026：: The first-instance ruling was issued.

2026：: Gao Junfang was convicted of producing and selling substandard products, commercial bribery, misappropriating corporate funds and bribing an organization; the sentences were combined into life imprisonment. Her husband, Zhang Youkui, received six years in prison; Zhang Jing and Liu Jingye were among 12 people sentenced to prison terms of seven to 15 years; four other employees, including Zhao Zhiwei, received sentences of two years and nine months to two years and 10 months.

Oct. 12, 2026 (Monday)：: Economic Observer first reported the second-instance verdict; Caixin confirmed the ruling with sources familiar with the matter. The Jilin Provincial High People’s Court upheld the lower-court verdict and confirmed the life sentence for Gao Junfang.

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