BEIJING - China's drug regulatory agency will launch a four-month crackdown concentrating on the production and sale of counterfeit medicine.

The crackdown will focus on pharmaceutical producers' failure to follow proper drug formulae during the production process, as well as the use of adulterated ingredients, according to a Friday statement from the State Food and Drug Administration.

The production of unlicensed drugs, as well as the practices of leasing property and equipment to produce unlicensed drugs, will also be a focus of the campaign, the statement said.

The campaign will also cover the sale of medicine from illegal sources, as well as forgeries of purchase and sale documents and violations of regulations on the sale of prescription drugs, the statement said.

Violators may have their production and sale permits revoked, and the administration plans to publicize any cases of counterfeiting that it uncovers, the statement said.