Yan Jiangying, spokeswoman for the State Food and Drug Administration in China, says only nine websites are authorized to offer online drug trading services in China and only four can sell non-prescription drugs to consumers.
The websites of pharmaceutical companies Beijing Jingwei Drugstore, Beijing Jinxiang Drugstore, Shanghai Drugstore and Liaoning Shengsheng Drugstore are the only ones authorized to sell non-prescription medicines, ointments, and pharmaceuticals in China.
In a press conference held by SFDA, Yan Jiangying says if illegal websites are found by SFDA, they will be immediately transferred to relevant law enforcement or administrative enforcement government departments and some Chinese Internet portals have already been told to remove all illegal drug advertisements and cancel any contracts with these non-approved businesses. Yan says consumers can look up relative information on the website of SFDA to judge whether the license number of drugs, medical instruments, medical manufacturing companies, and medical advertisements are true or not.
Yan says consumers should first check if a drug has a "Drug Approval Number". If not, it is definitely a counterfeit product. If it has the number, then it can be checked on SFDA's website. If the name, batch, and company record of the drug appear, it is a real drug. If not, it is a counterfeit drug and the consumer should report it to the local drug supervision department.
