Yunnan Baiyao gets the Streisand effect when it sends police to interrogate a doctor who reported a side effect

by Michael Woodhead
A Guangzhou dermatologist got a very rude shock when he posted a report of a possible adverse reaction to one of China's most popular traditional remedies, Yunnan Baiyao (an astringent said to be good for wound healing). 
The remedy is a multi-million yuan bestseller product for its Yunnan manufacturer, and they obviously have a lot of 'guanxi' and clout with the law enforcement authorities. Two years ago a Guangzhou dermatologist Dr Liu Xin posted a report on Weibo about a young girl who had an adverse reaction to some medicine that her family used on an open wound. The post advised caution in using excessive topical antiseptic products on wounds. Dr Liu did not even mention Yunnan Baiyao by name, but it was fairly obvious to readers which product the girl's family had used (in addition to mercurochrome antiseptic). The original post was circulated quite widely and has occasionally resurfaced over the last two year.

Dr Liu had almost forgotten about it, until the police came knocking on his door recently. The police had been sent by Yunnan Baiyao, who wanted the post retracted. They claimed that Dr Liu was trying to damage their corporate reputation and wanted hims charged with being involved in an extortion attempt against the company. They acused Dr Liu of deliberately spreading false and malicious rumours to discredit Baiyao - and they wanted to make an example of him. The police posed questions to him such as - "has the picture of the wound been Photoshopped? ... How come you don't remember this family's exact details?" and "did you verify with proof that these medicines were used and caused the disfigurement?" Dr Liu said he was amazed to be accused of a crime for doing his job - as a licensed dermatologist it is professional duty to treat cases such as this - and his public duty to report on matters where injury may be avoided in future. The police did not press charges against Dr Liu, but he says that even though he was 'exonerated' he has been left with a sense of fear and intimidation. How many others will choose to remain silent in such circumstances by such heavy handed tactics? Fortunately, online commentators have now circulated the latest news about Dr Liu's 'persecution' by Yunnan Baiyao - and exposed their use of police to put pressure on any public criticism of their product that threatens their commercial interest. Commentators say this is a clear case of freedom of speech being suppressed for financial reasons, and abuse of police powers to protect a commercial organisation. They say it is a typical case of s powerful local company relying on police to defeat perceived threats to their interests. They say it also underlines the lack of trust in Chinese society generally and the lack of trust in health products in particular.

Tuesday news: The US health model best for China | Food and drug police | SARS victims forgotten | HIV medication non-compliance | Womens' wrinkles vary by region

US healthcare model is the answer to China's problems
The answer to China's health problems is to follow the American model and encourage growth of the private health insurance industry, says an American academic. Harvard's Professor Martin Feldstein, a former economics adviser to Ronald Reagan, says China could boost the growth of private health companies by creating tax breaks for employers and people who pay into them. Expansion of health insurance would also lead to an increase in the provision of hospital services as private insurers will enter the market, Professor Feldstein told Jewish Business News. By encouraging the purchase of health insurance by individuals or employers, the Chinese government could reduce the current trend for household saving to pay for medical bills and free up funds to increase consumer spending, he said.

'Health police' to be set up to catch drug and food crooks
"Watch it, here come the health police ..." - may soon become reality in China.  The Ministry of Public Security is planning to set up a new police division to deal with "food and drug safety crimes" in conjunction with the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA). At present those who break food and drug regulations are supposed to be dealt with by the CFDA, but  the agency has weak powers and not enough staff to deal with the numerous cases of drug and food violations. The new food and drug police would have more powers, but some people are warning that it will lead to duplication and will not deter back street drug factories or sub-standard food manufacturers.

SARS victims abandoned to ill health
Many of the 5000 people in China who were infected with SARS a decade ago are struggling today under a burden of severe long term complications, clinicians say. SARS victims feel forgotten and abandoned, with may having debilitating lung problems that stop them from working and earning a living, according to an article by Professor Xiang Yutao and colleagues of Capital Medical University in Beijing. Many people who had SARS  developed long term problems and disabilities due to the high dose steroid therapy they were given, according to Professor Xiang. However there is no social or financial support for the many people who need ongoing medical treatment, he says.

HIV patients stop taking their medicines
Antiretroviral medicines are provided free of charge to HIV positive people in China but despite this, many stop taking them, leading to high rates of treatment failure. A new study from Guangzhou of 813 HIV-infected adult 19% had recently missed taking their medication and 7% had had stopped their antiretrovirals for at least a month in the past year). Those most likely to stop tended to be male, living alone, poorly educated and to drink alcohol.

The women with the best skin in China live in ...
If you want beautiful skin, go live near the Yangtze - that's the conclusion of a study of women's skin quality in different areas of China. Dermatologists found that skin quality and appearance depended on the local climate - in the cold, dry smoggy climate of Beijing womens' skin tended to be dry and wrinkled, whereas in the hotter sub-tropical humidity Guangzhou women had finer wrinkles - but more greasy skin due to higher sebum content.  Cities such as Shanghai and Wuhan had a combination of high moisture and moderate temperatures and women's skin had more elasticity.