China's SAPPRFT Reviews Illegal Medical Advertisements on Online Video Platforms
SAPPRFT, 8/15/17
China's State Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) has issued a notice announcing that it has begun reviewing medical advertisements on online video platforms.
The notice said that the review of medical advertisements on online video websites was prompted by the discovery and shut down of 40 illegal television advertisements for products including Miaoxian Cough Drops (Miaoxian Haichuanfang).
SAPPRFT said that these unlawful advertisements were broadcast either in TV program format or as short TV shopping advertisements, and used product exaggerations and images of doctors, experts, patients, and public figures to support their claims, which were misleading to consumers.
The SAPPRFT notice stipulates that:
1. Provincial SAPPRFT branches must organize online video websites within their jurisdiction to review their websites, medical product promotional advertisements, and video programming. If any of the above-mentioned problems are discovered, or if false medical spokespersons are used in any way to mislead consumers, the materials in question must be taken down immediately.
2. Online video service organizations must follow laws and regulations for managing advertisements, and must strictly check for and prohibit any illegal advertisements, particularly those that involve medical and pharmaceutical product advertisements or programs.
Editor's Note: For more information on this topic, please see "China's SAIC Issues New Provisional Online Advertising Regulations," MD 7/07/16 issue.
Keywords: television TV advertising Internet online advertising SAPPRFT online healthcare regulation
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