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Health in China
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Health in China. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Vials of Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, a tirzepatide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes and weight loss, are seen in a fridge at a health clinic in Hyderabad, India, April 14, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Biomedicine: Companies

Explainer | Why dozens of Chinese firms are joining the weight loss drugs fray

In China, over 60 late-stage drugs are undergoing clinical trials, and may compete with those from incumbents Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.

Science

Top Chinese oncologist and director of Jilin Cancer Hospital, Cheng Ying, dies

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Trending in China

Chinese girl vomits live worms for a month; doctors find tiny moths to blame

Trending in China

Chinese man, 64, finds toothbrush he swallowed at age 12 stuck in intestine

Doctors take 80 minutes to remove 17cm dental implement from inside man who thought foreign object would ‘dissolve’ by itself.

A 64-year-old man in China who swallowed a toothbrush when he was 12 years old has finally had it removed from his stomach in an 80-minute surgical procedure. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin
Trending in China

Chinese woman wears same make-up for 22 years, leads to severe allergic reactions

Woman refers to condition as ‘hormone face’, highlights detrimental effects of prolonged make-up usage combined with harsh products.

Science

The unsung spleen may play a big role in fighting diabetes: Chinese scientists

Researchers say nanoparticles could help engineer the spleen – a more promising long-term survival site than the liver – into a transplant hub.

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Trending in China

Chinese grandma, 92, wows public by completing 200 push-ups, 100 sit-ups daily

Elderly retired kindergarten teacher with fitness bug says daily exercise is making her white hair turn black.

A 92-year-old grandmother in China has wowed the public by doing 200 push-ups and 100 sit-ups every day. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
Trending in China

‘Age is just a number’: China grandma, 71, stars in fitness contest, shares tips

Six-pack boasting grandmother sets cycling Guinness World Record, says it is never too late to start physical exercise.

Trending in China

Explainer | Why China youth find special spots to cry away stress, like Forbidden City, courthouses

From cemeteries to zoos and film theatres, young people are letting it all out in special places, but Beijing’s Summer Palace is a no-no.

Biomedicine: Companies

Chinese biotech firm Akeso sinks after US partner’s cancer-drug setback

FDA says a ‘statistically significant’ benefit on overall survival is required to approve the ivonescimab antibody.

Akeso’s clinical trials in China showed that ivonescimab allowed half of its patients to go 11.1 months without their cancer progressing. Photo: Shutterstock
Biomedicine: Companies

Novo Nordisk faces fierce competition in China’s diabetes drug market

Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide product to lose patent protection in China next year, according to L.E.K. Consulting.

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Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide product. Photo: Handout
CSPC Pharmaceutical

Chinese biotech’s mega drug-licensing deals with multinationals surge

Such deals allow Chinese firms to profit while minimising capital outlays, but also carry risks, law firm says.

Trending in China

China pop idol sells sanitary pad brand online, earns US$3 million in half an hour

Entertainment icon sets up fully automated factory that churns out 3,600 pads a minute, faces praise and criticism online.

Science

Sleep helps brain enter repair mode to clean up free radicals: Chinese study

Findings open avenues for therapies to combat sleep disorders, which particularly affect older people and increase disease risk.

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Researcher Liu Danqian said her study aimed to find out “what kind of change happens inside a person’s brain when they remain awake for a long period of time? And how are these changes perceived by the brain”. Photo: Shutterstock
Trending in China

Chinese woman, afraid of tanning, suffers fractures from rolling over in bed

Medical tests reveal that the woman’s vitamin D level was critically low, causing accelerated bone resorption, severe osteoporosis.

A Chinese woman, afraid of tanning and shielded from head to toe, suffered bone fractures after rolling over in bed. Photo: SCMP composite/ifeng
Trending in China

‘Eye candy therapy’: China doctor tells women to look at muscular men for mood boost

Gynaecologist sparks humour, receives backing online by advising women to gaze at images of fit men to stimulate production of dopamine.

China society

Opinion | Hospital scandal further eats away at public trust in China’s healthcare

Questions about doctors’ training come on the heels of a controversy over the use of cheap medicines in overburdened public hospitals.

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Biomedicine: Companies

Akeso shares slump despite second China approval for lung cancer drug

Chinese regulator grants second approval for lung cancer drug ivonescimab, which has outperformed Merck’s Keytruda in phase three trial.

Akeso’s new immunotherapy drug called ivonescimab allowed half of its patients to go 11.1 months without their condition worsening. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong environmental issues

Editorial | Raise awareness of air pollution hazards in Hong Kong

We can’t control the weather, but proper warnings must be issued in a timely manner so that Hongkongers can take appropriate precautions.

Biomedicine: Companies

Hutchmed weighs cancer drug’s supply-chain options amid trade war

Blood-cancer medicine, manufactured in the US, won conditional approval for sale in mainland China last month.

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New medical drugs

Trump’s tariffs: will Chinese pharmaceutical industry feel the pain?

With biotech firms caught in the crosshairs of Trump’s tariffs, the levy could prove to be a boon for domestic producers but a bane for exporters.

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Employees of Jiangxi Banbiantian Pharmaceutical pack medicines at the company’s plant in Jiangxi province. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

China battling obesity crisis with 65% forecast to be overweight by 2030

The problems could cost the equivalent of US$57 billion, around 22 per cent of the total national health budget.

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Children take a ride with adults at a park in Fuyang, Anhui province. Nearly one third of Chinese children aged over seven could be overweight or obese by 2030, according to the National Health Commission. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong healthcare reforms must go to the heart of systemic failures

Cutting healthcare subsidies without a big expansion of primary care investment risks deepening disparities.

Trending in China

Woman in China drinks ‘waste water’ for 5 years, pipe blunder causes liver damage

Victim of water purifier installation mistake seeks proper compensation after she suffers from irregular periods following pipes mistake.

Trending in China

China seniors adopt quirky workouts – crocodile crawl, tree-bumping for longevity

Obsession with longevity drives many to pursue unconventional health routines to boost vitality.

Chinese seniors engage in unique workout routines, such as crocodile crawling and hanging from trees by their necks to promote robust health and longevity. Photo: SCMP composite/QQ.com/iften
Science

Chinese scientists turn tumours to ‘pork’ in radical cancer treatment

Researchers in China have used the body’s own immune system to kill cancerous cells in a pioneering new therapy.

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A pioneering new cancer treatment tricks the body into thinking tumours are pig cells which leads to an immune response which targets the cancer cells. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong society

Editorial | More must be done in Hong Kong’s battle against obesity

Children in Hong Kong are among those falling victim to one of today’s greatest health challenges, which calls for a concerted effort by all.

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Trending in China

Shock as Chinese woman has baby a day after discovering she was 34 weeks pregnant

Online influencer went bungee jumping, took a roller coaster, smoked, all while blissfully unaware that she was carrying a baby boy.

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