Health News
Latest health news and updates
Total: 29
Beijing Cracks Down on Social‑media Misinformation Around Central Drug Procurement
China’s internet and health regulators have jointly removed and sanctioned social‑media accounts spreading false claims about the state’s centralized drug and consumable procurement programme. The initiative aims to curb panic, protect public confidence in volume‑based procurement, and signal stricter platform accountability as Beijing tightens online governance around health policy.
Fraud in China’s Psychiatric Wards: How Payment Rules and Weak Oversight Open the Door to Insurance Abuse
Chinese authorities are investigating multiple psychiatric hospitals for alleged large-scale insurance fraud, exposing systemic weaknesses in how mental health care is paid for and regulated. The combination of per‑day payment rules, limited objective documentation of care and fragmented oversight has created recurring opportunities for abuse, especially among private psychiatric providers.
Celebrity Comeback Meets Charity Crisis: Can Li Yapeng’s Viral Revival Rescue Yánrán Children’s Hospital?
A livestream-driven surge in donations and sales has given actor Li Yapeng and the Yánrán Angel Children’s Hospital a temporary reprieve from mounting debts, but the hospital’s narrow clinical focus, management gaps and legal limits on charitable funds mean deeper structural reforms are needed. The case highlights broader pressures on China’s private hospitals and the limits of celebrity philanthropy as a sustainable rescue strategy.
China’s Drug Regulator Flags 50 Batches of Unsafe Cosmetics, Orders Local Probes and Sales Bans
China’s drug regulator has identified 50 batches of cosmetics that failed 2025 national sampling tests for issues including microbial contamination, excessive acrylamide and mismatches between labelled and detected sunscreen ingredients. Provincial regulators have been ordered to investigate manufacturers and registrants, halt sales and pursue legal accountability where warranted. The move underscores Beijing’s sustained push for tighter cosmetics oversight and raises compliance, reputational and commercial stakes for domestic and foreign brands.
Surgeon Convicted After Charging Patients for Implanted Devices That Never Went In — A Case of Medical Corruption in China
A senior surgeon at Zhengzhou University’s First Affiliated Hospital was convicted in 2025 for charging patients for implanted microvascular devices that were not used or were hidden in tissue, pocketing over ¥1m in kickbacks. The case exposes weaknesses in hospital procurement, clinician incentives and device oversight, with implications for patient trust and regulator enforcement in China’s healthcare system.
Patient Companions: How China’s Gig Workforce Is Filling a Healthcare Gap — and Testing Regulation
China’s informal industry of patient companions has grown rapidly to help elderly and urban patients navigate crowded hospitals, but it remains fragmented, poorly regulated and exposed to fraud and liability risks. Recent local pilots and an interagency statement signal a move toward professionalisation, while practitioners warn that certification and platform dynamics have yet to resolve structural precarity.
Testing Blind Spot in Infant Formula: Toxin Levels Can Jump up to 75× After Reconstitution
Belgium’s Sciensano found that cereulide toxin levels can be up to 75 times higher after infant formula is reconstituted than when measured in powder, a discrepancy linked to microencapsulated arachidonic acid (ARA). The discovery has triggered method revisions, industry recalls, and an EFSA proposal for a strict infant exposure limit, exposing gaps in testing standards and supply‑chain controls.
Pfizer’s Monthly GLP‑1 Shows Promising Weight‑Loss Signal — A New Challenger in a Crowded Market
Pfizer’s long‑acting GLP‑1 candidate PF‑08653944 produced a 12.3% placebo‑adjusted mean weight loss at 28 weeks and sustained reductions after switching to monthly dosing, with mainly mild‑to‑moderate gastrointestinal side effects. The company has launched an ambitious phase 3 programme of ten trials and plans to advance full development in 2026, positioning itself to challenge incumbent GLP‑1 therapies if larger trials confirm efficacy and safety.
How ‘Free’ Psychiatric Beds Became a Lucrative Fraud: Inside China’s Private Mental‑health Market
An undercover probe by New Beijing News uncovered systematic insurance fraud and abuse at private psychiatric hospitals in Hubei, where facilities recruit patients with promises of free care, fabricate diagnoses and billable treatments, and sometimes coerce or harm inpatients. The practices—paired with “fake discharge” tactics to evade audits—have siphoned public medical insurance funds and left vulnerable patients mistreated and trapped.
Light‑Activated Nanoparticles Offer a More Targeted Way to Kill Cancer Cells — But Clinical Hurdles Remain
Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed a light‑activated nanotechnology that kills cancer cells via localized heating, reporting enhanced precision and fewer side effects than conventional treatments. The approach, published in Cell Reports Physical Science, could improve detection and focal treatment for some tumours, but faces significant technical and clinical translation challenges.
China Installs First Superconducting Linac for Mass Production of Scarce Alpha Cancer Isotopes
China’s Institute of Modern Physics has installed the main accelerator for IP-SAFE, a superconducting linac demonstrator intended to mass-produce scarce alpha-emitting isotopes Ac-225 and Ra-223. The facility aims to ease global shortages that constrain targeted alpha therapies and to bolster domestic biomedical and accelerator capabilities.
Huawei Unveils Cloud–Edge–Device AI System to Digitize Pathology for Grassroots Hospitals
Huawei has launched a cloud–edge–device smart pathology solution and a RuiPath pathology appliance developed with Ruijin Hospital, targeting smaller hospitals and clinics. The initiative bundles scanning hardware, AI models and cloud services to speed diagnosis and enable telepathology, while also creating a national medical-AI community and consumer health partnerships.