China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) is set to prohibit the country's celebrities from endorsing pharmaceutical products by giving a testimonial to their effectiveness, according to the consumer watchdog on Thursday.

SFDA spokesman Yan Jiangying said the plan is aimed at curbing illegal drug advertisements that tend to exaggerate the effects of a pharmaceutical product.

She said the ban also extends to existing commercials and ads. The agency responsible for penalizing violators of the ban is the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC).

Yan said a total of 33,130 illegal drug ads had been identified between January and September, including those run on TV, the Internet and newspapers.

She added that these ads have already been forwarded to SAIC for investigation.