In an ongoing anti-corruption drive, the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) Wednesday banned the holding of drug company shares by drug supervision officials.

Officials are no longer allowed to take part in banquets, recreation and tourism activities which may influence the fairness of procedures.

It bans the officials, their spouses and children from holding stocks in drug companies. Officials may not accept lecture fees, consultant fees, expensive gifts and securities offered by drug companies and intermediate agencies.

Officials working in food and drug supervision departments must not disclose information concerning drug, health food and medical instrument applications.

The government has stepped up supervision of the drug market after Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of the SFDA, was removed from his post on charges of corruption.

Zheng failed to properly supervise the drug market, abused the administration's drug approval authority by taking bribes, and turned a blind eye to malpractice by relatives and subordinate officials, according to the Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

(Xinhua News Agency March 29, 2007)