15-Jun-18, Financial Times
A shortage of human papillomavirus vaccine in China has led hundreds of thousands of women to seek treatment in Hong Kong and neighbouring Asian countries, causing price increases and shortages that sparked a protest.
Image: Reuters
The dearth of vaccines highlights potential disruptions caused by the growing popularity of medical tourism among more affluent Chinese people, due to drug approval delays that mean treatments are often unavailable in China years after launches elsewhere.
About 2 mn Chinese women have travelled to Hong Kong for HPV vaccinations annually in recent years, according to state media.