Pharmaceutical companies that try to prove the drug effects
through celebrities or medical experts will be forbidden, said Yan
Jiangning, spokeswoman of the State Food and Drug Administration,
on Thursday.
From the information collected by the State Food and Drug
Administration and its subordinate bodies at various local levels,
it can be seen that most of the illegal drug ads occurred when the
pharmaceutical companies launched their ads on public media without
gaining the government's approval; some medicines that should be
obtained only with doctors' prescription are being advertised on
public media; some pharmaceutical companies changed the contents of
their advertisements after the advertisements were approved by the
government; and some pharmaceutical companies tried to prove the
effects of their medicine through celebrities, “medical experts”,
or patients, said the spokeswoman.
Yan believed that with the concerted efforts of various
departments, the government could achieve its goal of eliminating
illegal ads where celebrities or medical experts appeared by the
end of this year.
From January to September, this year, the State Food and Drug
Administration detected 33,130 illegal ads that seriously violated
state laws. The State Food and Drug Administration has reported all
the cases to the State Administration of Industry and
Commerce.
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(Chinanews.cn November 10, 2007)