New regulations for pharmacists

Pharmacists will be punished for breaking new regulations limiting the promotion and sale of prescription drugs, the Beijing News reported.

A grading system will be introduced to designate which pharmacies are permitted to sell prescription drugs, as well as which staff within those stores are authorized to handle and issue prescription drugs. Pharmacists will be required to wear ID badges at all times during work, and only authorized pharmacists will be allowed to enter areas where prescription drugs are handled.

Li Jiangning, an official with the Beijing Food and Drug Administration, said that drugstores will also be punished if their staff are found to have broken regulations.

The Beijing government will take three years to regulate the 5,300 drugstores in the city.