Advertisements for prescription medicines, which pervade China's mass media, will disappear from December 1, because of a regulation issued by the State Drug Administration (SDA) on November 12.

According to the regulation, manufacturers of prescription medicines for cardiac disease, angina, hypertension, hepatitis and diabetes, as well as those for non-antibiotics and hormonal medicines are only entitled to advertise their products with professional medical media from February 1, 2002.

Advertisements for medicines that do not meet national standards can not be promoted in any media.

Sources say that medicines which have been available to the public for five years can be advertised on public media subject to approval by relevant departments.

The General Administration for the Industry and Commerce and SDA have prohibited two batches of medicine from being advertised on April 1 and October 1 respectively.

The new move is expected to further regulate China's drug market.

(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2001)