China’s State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), issued an interim regulation on October 8 to restrict Internet based pharmaceutical trading services in China, according to an official statement from SFDA. The requirements will go into effect on December 1, 2005.
The Internet based pharmaceutical trading services include e-commerce activities between drug manufacturers, distributors, medical institutions and wholesalers. Chinese enterprises cannot engage in Internet based pharmaceutical trading services until they are examined and approved by the SFDA as a certificated Internet based pharmaceutical trading service organization. The certification is valid for five years.