Chinese drug supervision authorities revoked the business
licenses of 160 drug manufacturers and retailers in a bid to clean
up the pharmaceutical industry in 2006.
Drug supervision authorities in China inspected pharmaceutical
companies across the country?over the past year and punished
those that had irregular purchase and sale records, advertised
illegally, worked beyond their business scope and leased or
transferred their licenses without authorization, said Wang Lifeng,
director of the Market Supervision Department under the State Food
and Drug Administration.
They inspected 3,972 drug wholesalers and 40,152 retailers in
2006. The authorities revoked the Good Sales Practice certificates,
a must for the drug manufacturers, of 135 companies.
China is expected to blacklist drug manufacturers and retailers
who advertise illegally, provide false information or exaggerate
the benefits of their products, said Wang at a conference in
Nanchang on Tuesday. The blacklisted companies would be published
on the government websites, added Wang.
A survey by the State Food and Drug Administration of 466
newspapers and 55 local TV stations from January to November last
year discovered 48,990 illegal advertisements for drug
products.
(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2007)