According to "China Times”, recently one consumer (Mr. Zhao) recently purchased a variety of medicinal materials including Fritillaria cirrhosa from YSBANG.CN, which were later reported to be counterfeit products. Fritillaria cirrhosa, a type of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) material that helps reliving coughs, is of precious value and favored by many Chinese families. However, some companies have been reported of replacing ritillaria cirrhosa with much cheaper Fritillaria thunbergii seeds, which is somewhat similar in appearance. In fact, misinformed intake of Fritillaria thunbergii could potentially lead to serious health damage and even deaths.

Similarly, Mr. Fang, the operator of a neighborhood clinic in Nan'an District in Chongqing City, recently bought a batch of drugs from YSBANG.CN and also discovered fake medicines. 

Mr. Fang first learnt about YSBANG.CN from his friend. At the end of April, Mr. Fang decided to give it a try and officially registered on YSBANG.CN. At the end of May, he purchased medicinal materials such as Ophiopogon Japonicus sold by Hubei Dexin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Iphigenia Indica herbs sold by Shenzhen Puhua Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. on the platform. When the purchased medicine arrived at the store, Mr. Fang was surprised "These are apparently not authentic products, they don’t even look right to me."  Mr. Fang said that this batch of products is significantly different from regular products he previous purchased elsewhere. For safety reasons, Mr. Fang chose not to sell these medicines and sent them instead to Chongqing Food and Drug Inspection and Testing Institute (CFDITI) for inspection in early June.

Fake Medicines Sold by YSBANG.CN (1)

Fake Medicine Sold by YSBANG.CN (2)

On June 24, the Chongqing Institute of Food and Drug Inspection and Testing issued an inspection report. The testing results showed that the Ophiopogon japonicus produced by Hubei Zhengguang Jiuzihe Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and the Iphigenia Indica herbs produced by Sichuan Qianfang Traditional Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd. submitted by Mr. Fang "did not have the microscopic characteristics specified in the standard". Testing results prove that both of these medicinal materials are fake medicines.

Official Test Reports Proved YSBANG.CN Selling FAKE MEDICINES

Official Test Reports Proved YSBANG.CN Selling FAKE MEDICINES

Problems Unsolved

Mr. Fang said that he had previously purchased around a dozen kinds of traditional Chinese medicines on YSBANG.CN. The fake medicines he purchased this time, two bags of Ophiopogon japonicus and four bags of Sha rotto Katakuri, cost over 1,000 RMB.  "It's not just about money."  Mr. Fang said that the problems with the fake drugs not only damages his business, but also posed hidden dangers to the health and safety of customers.  "There are a lot of customers coming to the clinic to take medicine."  Mr. Fang worries that if the customers discover these fake medicines, the reputation of the clinic will be ruined. If customers buy the medicine home, the consequences will be even more unimaginable.

Surrounded by anxiety, Mr. Fang gave feedback on this situation to the customer service of YSBANG.CN, but so far he has not received a clear answer and solution.  "Two days ago, they actually blocked my account. I can't log in now."  Infuriated by such irresponsible response, Mr. Fang, decided to officially file a complaint at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Lawyers’ Opinion: YSBANG.CN Must Shoulder Its Responsibilities and Obligations

Lawyer Zheng Hongtao of Beijing Mingke Law Firm believes that YSBANG.CN should fulfill its obligations to strictly examine the qualifications of the products it is selling. Meanwhile, they must also fulfill their obligations to protect consumers’ safety by taking necessary measures against illegal conducts that infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. Otherwise, the market supervision and administration department would have to impose sanctions and order YSBANG.CN to make corrections within a time limit.

In response to the problems experienced by Mr. Fang, lawyer Zheng Hongtao said that YSBANG.CN should take initiative in solving the problems reasonably and properly. If the platform offers unqualified drugs or sells inferior drugs at the price of qualified products without informing the consumers, it should immediately rectify such problems while actively communicate with the consumers and provide refunds. If fake medicines are found on YSBANG.CN, especially when the corresponding drug manufacturers have been involved in criminal cases, YSBANG.CN itself must bear its share of legal responsibilities and be punished.

YSBANG.CN – Already Blacklisted by A Good Number of Large Drug Manufacturers

According to public information, YSBANG.CN was officially released in January 2015. In April, 2019, YsBang.cn encountered a collective boycott of a number of large pharmaceutical companies such as Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, Yangzijiang and Yunyao Group. These pharmaceutical companies successively issued a notice saying that YSBANG.CN seriously affected the normal order of the market and required dealers to stop supplying to YSBANG.CN. According to industry insiders, this may be related to the problems of YSBANG.CN 's medicinal materials. As a result of the sanctions by many pharmaceutical companies, YSBANG.CN’s sourcing channels have been greatly limited, which potentially prompted YSBANG.CN to loosen its standards on examination, and caused huge amounts of fake medicines sold by YSBANG.CN.

Consumers Call for Tightened Supervision

The Internet is not an extraterrestrial place. Unlike ordinary commodities, pharmaceuticals have very high production standards, and sales of medicines have long been strictly regulated by the government. Based on security considerations, the government has been cautious with online sales of drugs online. It should be acknowledged that there are still many regulatory problems with existing online drug sales platforms.

Notably, YSBANG.CN must assume the responsibility of product qualification and quality review. The "Electronic Commerce Law" also clearly warns that companies like YSBANG.CN must take up an active role in prevention of sales of fake products, and those who fail to uphold these standards shall be punished and face legal consequences.

So far, the Chinese government has already issued the "Internet Drug Information Service Management Measures" and "Interim Regulations on the Examination and Approval of Internet Drug Trading Services". The former State Food and Drug Administration, the State Internet Information Office, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce also carried out actions to crack down on illegal drug sales on the Internet. However, after the promulgation and rectification of these laws and regulations, incidents of illegal online sales of drugs still occur. This also reflects the difficulty of supervision of online drug sales. However, in any case, strengthening the supervision of online drug sales and eliminating online sales of fake medicine will be carried out in many ways.