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.
 
(Chinanews.cn November 10, 2007)