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China bans Internet trading of pharmaceuticals

SHANGHAI: China has banned trading of pharmaceutical products over the Internet, state media said on Sunday.

"The State Bureau of Pharmaceutical Supervision and Management in a recent decision banned producers and trading companies from trading pharmaceuticals over the Internet," Shanghai Television said.

The decision was taken to crack down on "chaos" in China's pharmaceutical market, including sales of fake medicine, the report said.

"Illegal elements are likely to make use of the Internet to sell medicine," it said.

Ordinary consumers buying drugs without prescriptions could also face danger to their health and safety, the report said.-Reuters