Online Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Sales Brought in Line with Offline Regulatory Regime

In line with the principle that online and offline transactions should be subject to identical regulatory regimes, the online trade in pharmaceuticals and medical devices is to face the same level of scrutiny as sales made via more conventional channels. In order to enforce this, the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) has now made it mandatory for all provincial-level food and drug authorities to monitor any e-commerce operations involved in such transactions that fall within their jurisdiction. They are also obliged to inspect all of the products offered by such sites, while additionally checking that appropriate records are being maintained. In any instances where said operators fail to meet the required standards or refuse to fully cooperate with any official inspection, it will then be down to the relevant provincial-level body to impose the appropriate sanction.

For further details (in Chinese), please refer to the following link:

Circular of the CFDA on Strengthening the Regulation of the Trading of Drugs and Medical Devices on the Internet (Shi Yao Jian Ban Fa No. 144 [2017])