In yet another attempt to suppress advertisements that continue to stain the Chinese media, the country's drug watchdog on Saturday asked its local administrators to ban the products of medical companies found to post illegal advertisements.

Serious offenders will also be stripped of their advertisement licenses for one year, said an official with the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

"Some medical manufacturers and retailers violate China's advertising law by providing false information or exaggerating the benefits of their products," the SFDA official said.

Some also misled customers with endorsements by self-appointed experts, he said.

In March, the SFDA blacklisted seven particularly egregious offenders who continue to post illegal advertisements despite being punished last year.

A survey by the SFDA of 466 newspapers and 55 local TV stations from January to November last year uncovered 48,990 illegal advertisements for drug products.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)