China expands ad ban on actors

Thesps can't play medical experts, patients

By CLIFFORD COONAN

China has banned actors from posing as medical experts or patients in commercials, following its ban on thesps and celebrities hosting medical shows imposed late last year.

The country was outraged after the Beijing Times newspaper disclosed that one actor had played four experts using different names while advertising drugs and an actress played patients suffering from lung, liver, kidney and heart problems.

The Ministry of Health said that the impersonation of experts or patients was misleading, hence the new rules jointly issued by a number of state departments including the powerful State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.