A spokesperson from Chinese internet company Baidu's (Nasdaq: BIDU) sales supervision department has revealed that several thousand keywords related to illnesses and pharmaceuticals have been banned from Baidu's paid search rankings.

Cancer, hypertension, diabetes and the names of several sexually transmitted diseases comprise the first category of words stricken from Baidu paid search results, followed by treatment-related terms such as 'prescription' and 'cure.' The third category entails names and types of medications, such as variations of 'sleeping pill.' The fourth category lists names of products deemed counterfeit by China's drug administration bodies, the fifth category lists terms related to illegal medical practices dealing with pregnancy, abortion, and organ trafficking, and the final category contains synthetic compounds such as ephedrine. In addition, keywords related to trade in medical waste products have also been included in the blacklist.