27-Nov-14 A new OECD report says despite a 10% improvement in life expectancy over the past 20 years, most Asia-Pacific countries still need to step up efforts to give people access to affordable, quality healthcare. Too many people, especially women, cannot get the treatment they need due to high costs, difficulties in getting permission to see a doctor, or a lack of providers in rural areas. [image: OECD]

26-Nov-14 China plans to scrap retail price caps on all drugs as early as the start of 2015, giving market forces a larger role in an industry where price controls have contributed to supply shortages. A recent crackdown on high prices pushed some Chinese firms out of business and forced global drug-makers to rethink their China strategy. [image: My Jungle Blog]

23-Nov-14 A Chinese health official has said that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) will take a bigger role in medical reform in future as it has certain advantages in both prevention and care. In 2013, China’s TCM output was over USD91 billion, one third of the country’s medicine industry. [image: China Daily Europe]

12-Nov-14 Alibaba has realised its ambition of expanding into the health sector with the launch of Alibaba Health Information Technology, in Oct-14. The newly formed unit was previously Citic 21CN, a company acquired by Alibaba earlier this year. Its drug coding system is seen as the most important asset for Alibaba. [image: Want China Times]

10-Nov-14 Qualcomm and The George Institute for Global Health are collaborating on the creation of the China Center for mHealth Innovation (CCmHI) to support the Chinese government's goal of improving community healthcare. One of its goals will be to target the 10 leading causes of premature death and disability in China. [image: MedCityNews / Ohmega1982]