BEIJING - A total of 48 officials of various levels have received punishment over the defective vaccine case involving Changchun Changsheng Life Sciences Limited.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission (NSC) made the announcement Saturday in a statement on investigations into the case.

Wu Zhen, former deputy head of the now defunct China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) and a former member of the agency's leading Party members' group, was expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and transferred to the procuratorate for investigation and prosecution for suspected duty crime.

Wu was among six high-ranking officials who were sacked or asked to resign as a result of the CCDI and NSC investigations.

A total of 42 lower level officials, who had worked with the CFDA, National Medical Products Administration, drug administration agencies of various levels in Jilin Province, Changchun municipal government and Changchun high-tech industries development area, were also punished.

Among the 42 were three duty crime suspects who formerly served with Jilin provincial medical products administration and were expelled from the CPC and transferred to procuratorial agencies for investigation and prosecution for suspected duty crimes.