Health officials had investigated 1,200 cases of illegal medical
advertising and penalized the institutions responsible by the end
of April, according to the Ministry of Health.
The government had issued amended regulations on medical
advertising in November in an attempt to prevent false and
misleading advertising .
"By the end of April, the ministry had investigated 164 cases of
illegal medical ads based on public complaints and its own
surveillance network," ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an said.
"During the same period, local health departments had
investigated more than 1,100 illegal ads," Mao added.
In March, 36 websites promoting bogus military medical
institutions were closed down, according to the ministry.
Five medical institutions in Anhui Province were closed and the
advertising licenses of nine medical institutions were revoked by
the end of April.
The regulations, effective since Jan. 1, ban the depiction of
medical techniques, treatment methods, patients or experts, the
army and armed police and claims of certain cures.
Provincial health authorities retain the authority to approve
medical advertisements, but more emphasis must be placed on vetting
the texts used to market products, according to the regulation.
In the first quarter of 2007, medical departments received more
than 5,000 applications for medical advertising licenses and issued
3,000 licenses.
(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2007)