SHANGHAI, Jan 31 (Reuters) - China's Ministry of Health has ordered doctors around the country to stop prescribing a diabetes drug after a fake batch of the medicine was linked to the deaths of two patients.

The patients died in China's far western region of Xinjiang after taking counterfeit medication that carried the brand of Guangxi Pingnan Pharmaceutical Co but had not been produced by that company, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

It called on medical institutions to submit their stocks of the drug to local authorities for quality testing.

China is battling a string of food and drug safety scandals.

A court last week sentenced two men to death for their role in making and selling milk tainted with melamine. At least six children died and nearly 300,000 fell ill after drinking the toxic dairy products last year.

Earlier this month the government said it dealt with 297,500 cases of "illegal drugs and medical equipment" last year, and warned that the economic slowdown could lead to more such cases as struggling drug makers cut corners and violated standards.

(Reporting by Andrew Torchia; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

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