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China to rein in fake drug ads in cyber space

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-23 23:40

BEIJING: China will launch a one-year crackdown on fake drug ads on the Internet and sales of fake drugs through postal services, according to a cross-ministerial meeting here Friday.

The campaign will be jointly launched by 13 ministries including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

Health Minister Chen Zhu said Web sites, advertisement companies, postal services, medical institutions and commercial banks involved in such illegal businesses are the main targets of the crackdown.

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The Internet has become a new distribution channel for fake drugs due to loose supervision. Even if the Web site is shut down, it's easier for violators to start all over again with lower cost than running a sales outlet, according to a recent report by the Guangzhou-based Nanfang Daily.

Shao Mingli, director of the State Food and Drug Administration, said the SFDA's official Web sites will name and shame those sites advertising fake drugs to alert the public.

Also on Friday, the administration exposed six drug producers whose advertisements contain content of over-promised efficacy and guarantee in the name of consumers.

Since this August, the SFDA has stepped up supervision on Internet advertisements of drugs and health-improving food. It also mandated food and drug administrations at local levels to deal with cases of fake drug sales through the Internet.