BEIJING — The State Council investigation team has stepped up efforts to investigate defective human rabies vaccines, pledging severe consequences for those convicted of criminal offenses and neglecting regulatory responsibilities.

Work has started on recalling defective rabies vaccines produced by Changchun Changsheng Life Sciences Limited in both domestic and overseas markets, an official statement said.

The investigators found the company had violated rules on production management and national drug standards for the vaccines from as early as April 2014.

The violations included blending expired fluid to produce certain products and falsifying production dates.