Six Chinese departments started a joint inspection on drug safety Tuesday, according to a statement of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

The six departments, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Security, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce and the SFDA, will carry out the joint inspection in eastern Zhejiang and Shandong provinces, southwestern Sichuan province and Chongqing municipality and eight other provinces across the country, in the next two weeks.

According to the statement, the six departments will jointly focus on problems such as "media hype," the sale of fake drugs through mail, the implementation of state policies in the pharmaceutical sector, the restructuring of the sector and the implementation of drug quality standards, among others.

(Xinhua News Agency November 3, 2010)