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ASIA PACIFIC: CHINA

TIGHTER REGULATIONS ON DRUG ADVERTISEMENTS IN CHINA
Author: John Lee, Lehman, Lee & Xu

China has recently strengthened its legal framework for drug advertising, amending the “Measures for the Examination of Drug Advertisements” and the “Standards for the Examination and Publication of Drug Advertisements” in May 2007. The government has banned practices that affect the health and safety of the public, including the advertisement of prescription drugs, the advertisement of narcotics and psychotropic drugs, and the use of misleading and exaggerated expressions in advertisements.

Because of the strengthened regulations, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce has been able to crack down more effectively on harmful drug advertising. For the months of September and October, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in China found 3,686 drug advertisements with unverified claims or false statements. For this period, the agency has imposed over RMB 11 million in fines to advertisers, advertising agencies, and distributors. Moreover, it has shut down over 900 advertising-related businesses. In total, more than 33,000 illegal drug ads were published in the first ten months of 2007.