While Chinese media praise Cecolin for being China’s first domestically produced HPV vaccine, Chinese social media users are more concerned with its price, quality, and availability.
In the first week of 2020, the first China-made HPV vaccine was approved by Chinese drug regulators. The domestically produced HPV vaccine became a major topic of discussion on Chinese social media. On Weibo alone, the topic received more than 580 million views since early January.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine prevents infection with the specific viral infection that causes cervical cancer. The earliest HPV vaccine, ‘Gardasil’ by American multinational pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., first became available in 2006. Along with Pfizer’s ‘Prevnar 13’ – the vaccine deployed for the prevention of pneumococcal pneumonia – Gardasil is among the world’s best-selling vaccines.
With the introduction of the first Chinese HPV vaccine, the virtual monopoly position of Merck’s vaccine might now change as the Chinese vaccination is entering the market.
The Chinese vaccine is named ‘Cecolin’ (馨可宁), and was co-developed by drug maker Innovax (万泰沧海生物技术) and Xiamen University. It is intended for girls and women aged 9-14 (two shots needed) and 15-45 (three shots needed). According to CGTN, some 8 million shots will be produced in China in 2020.
Gardasil and Cecolin are not entirely the same, however. Gardasil is a so-called quadrivalent vaccine, which targets four different antigens (HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18), while Cecolin is a bivalent vaccine only protecting against HPV 16 and 18 types, the two most common viruses leading to cervical cancer. Another type of HPV vaccine is the nonavalent kind, the Gardasil 9 vaccine, preventing diseases caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58.
Nearly all sexually active people will be exposed to HPV at some point in their life, and if girls and women are given the vaccine before any natural infection with HPV, the vaccines have been shown to protect against pre-cancer of the cervix. Males can also get the quadrivalent and nonavalent HPV vaccines to protect against genital warts, anal precancers, or the spread of HPV to sexual partners.
While Chinese media emphasize the fact that China is now the third country in the world, after US and UK, to succeed in producing its own HPV vaccine, one of the topics receiving the most attention on Chinese social media is the price of the Cecolin vaccine.
Cecolin is currently priced at 329 yuan (US$47) per shot, which is considerably cheaper than the approximate $250 per dose of the Gardasil vaccine in the United States.
The nonavalent vaccine costs about 1300 yuan or more per shot in China ($186+), with the quadrivalent Gardasil being priced at approximately 800 yuan per shot ($115), and the imported bivalent vaccine costing 600 yuan per dose ($86).
Weibo user shares receipt of 9-valent vaccine, 1338 yuan per dose.
Many Weibo commenters praise the arrival of the Chinese vaccine and its relatively low price. A complete vaccination programme would now only be either 660 or 1000 yuan ($94/$143, depending on needing two or three shots) instead of $260 or more.
“Whoa that’s cheap!” some commenters write, with others saying: “This makes it possible for the poorer girls to get their shots.”
But there is also a lot of discussion on the quality of the vaccine, and whether the bivalent vaccine is effective enough (for clarity -the two HPV types the vaccine protects against causes 84.5% of all cervical cancers in China). Some Weibo users say they would still like to get the more expensive nonavalent vaccine instead – even if they will need to spend around 4000 yuan ($570) on their completed shots.
Other commenters are most concerned with the general availability of HPV vaccines in China, as there is still a shortage of vaccinations.
The imported HPV vaccine was issued 1,46 million times in 2017, going up to 7 million shots in 2018 and 8,7 million in 2019. On Weibo, some commenters say they have previously gone to Hong Kong to get their shot.
One user from Nanjing writes: “I made an appointment for my site and needed to wait for four months, I finally got it. I don’t want to wait around for the domestic shot to become available here.”
A Weibo user from Liaoning is appreciative that those who want to have the vaccine now have more options: “If you can financially afford it, you can choose the nonavalent vaccines, if you can’t afford it, you can get the quadrivalent or bivalent ones.”
Starting from May of 2020, Cecolin will be available at community hospitals across various regions in China.
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Manya Koetse is the founder and editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com. She is a writer, public speaker, and researcher (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends, digital developments, and new media in an ever-changing China, with a focus on Chinese society, pop culture, and gender issues. She shares her love for hotpot on hotpotambassador.com. Contact at manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.
Cancer Diagnoses in Young Doctors at Same Lab: About the Zhongshan Hospital Controversy
Within a short time frame, three Chinese young doctors received cancer diagnoses after working in the same laboratory at the Zhongshan Second Affiliated Hospital.
Several medical workers who all worked at the same renowned oncology lab in Guangzhou recently were diagnosed with cancer. Although there are many concerns about whether or not their cancer is related to their working environment, the primary source of public outrage revolves around the handling of the controversy by the affiliated hospital.
Over the past week, a case of three young doctors working in the same laboratory at a renowned Guangzhou hospital being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer has repeatedly become a trending topic on Weibo and beyond.
The hospital involved is the Sun Yat-Sen University’s Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital (中山大学孙逸仙纪念医院) – also known as the Zhongshan Second Affiliated Hospital (中山二院). Founded in 1835, the hospital is known for pioneering in western medical practice. It is also well-known for its cancer treatments and education.
The three medical workers, two breast surgeons and one trainee doctor, all developed cancer just before or in 2023 after working at the Breast Cancer Center (乳腺肿瘤中心实验室). The issue first became a big topic of discussion around the night of November 6 and on November 7, when netizens’ posts started circulating on social media about how several people connected to the oncology lab got diagnosed with cancer.
One of the claims made is that one of the young doctors was expelled from the research team’s WeChat group by the team leader Dr. Su Shicheng (苏士成) upon revealing her cancer diagnosis. This assertion was later confirmed to reporters by the woman’s sister, Lele (乐乐). The staff member involved, Huang Mei (黄敏), is battling pancreatic cancer and she is currently not doing well.
The other researchers, all approximately 30 years old, are suffering from synovial sarcoma and breast cancer.
The topic soon gained traction as people assumed the lab safety at the Zhongshan Hospital must be blamed for the cancer cases. When the research center in question suddenly got dismantled on November 8, the discussions intensified as social media users speculated that the hospital was trying to get rid of evidence.
The hospital denied that the medical workers had contracted cancer due to exposure in the lab environment. Staff members later claimed that the alleged dismantling of the lab on November 8 was already scheduled as part of the fire department’s orders, emphasizing that it was unrelated to the ongoing controversy.
Photos of the lab getting dismantled shared on Weibo.
On November 9, the China Association for Science and Technology (中国科学技术协会) posted on their official social media account, calling for a thorough and professional investigation into the case to uncover the truth.
Online Anger and Suspicions
Chinese political commentator Hu Xijin (@胡锡进) also posted a lengthy column about the issue on his social media. In his post, Hu critiqued the manner in which Zhongshan Second Affiliated Hospital handled the controversy. Although he also stressed that he did not necessarily believe that the renowned hospital purposely crossed scientific ethics that might have increased cancer risks for students working in the laboratory-if their cancer is indeed related to their working environment,- he argued that the hospital should handle this case with greater transparency.
According to the Shanghai Morning Post (@新闻晨报), the laboratory was first opened in 2009 and has since trained more than 200 students. The three cancer patients have only started working at the laboratory in recent years.
Various international studies (e.g. here, here, here) have previously indicated that research in biomedical laboratories might involve an increased risk of certain types of cancer among employees.
While some Weibo commenters voice concerns about safety protocols at the hospital lab, the prevailing online anger is more about how the hospital is handling the situation. There is a sense that those involved are being silenced, that evidence is being tampered with, and that there is a special relationship between the lab team leader, Dr. Su Shicheng, and the hospital director, Song Erwei (宋尔卫).
Adding to the suspicions, Dr. Su not only works directly under Song as a deputy director of the Breast Cancer Center but has also co-authored an academic essay with Song’s son, Song Shijian (宋世键). Some people believe they are all covering for each other.
“If they [the hospital] finally holds a press conference, they’d better invite Ms. Huang who was kicked out of the WeChat group!” some commenters on Weibo wrote.
Meanwhile, there is an increased media focus in China on the lab safety protocols at other hospitals as well. With Chinese media outlets interviewing medical students from other institutions, it has come to light that many say they have never actually received formal training regarding lab safety rules (#5位医学生眼中的实验室#, #多数受访学生称未接受实验室安全培训#).
As attention on the Zhongshan Second Affiliated Hospital case intensifies from various fronts, including the public, media, and medical associations, the pressure on the hospital is mounting to provide a clear and transparent response to the situation.
While many might wish for this case to fade away, this storm is not going to blow over anytime soon. Beyond the public’s need for answers, it is the medical workers who are struggling with their illness and navigating through this whirlwind who especially deserve the clarity they need.
“Let’s build up the pressure,” some netizens suggest, trying to keep the case trending.
“I’m so disappointed,” another Weibo user wrote: “I was determined to study medicine since senior high school, but the older I get the more I realize the ugly face behind the healthcare system.”
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Avideo that has circulated on Chinese social media since October 19 shows how an alleged worker at a Tsingtao Beer factory climbs over a wall at the raw material production site and starts to urinate.
The incident reportedly occurred at the Tsingtao Beer Factory No. 3, a subsidiary of the Tsingtao Brewing Company, located in Qingdao, Shandong.
This is the viral video showing how an alleged worker at the Tsingtao Beer Factory 3 climbs over a wall at the raw material production site and starts to urinate. Many people think it's an undercover operation by a rivaling company: one person peed, another leaked the video? 🍻🤢 pic.twitter.com/eJcYljo2aQ
After the video went viral, the Tsingtao Brewery Company issued a statement that they took the incident very seriously and immediately report it to the authorities, who have started an investigation into the case. Meanwhile, the specific batch in production has been halted and shut off.
The incident has caused concern among consumers, and some commenters on social media wonder if this was the first time something like this has happened. “How do we know this hasn’t happened many times before?”
Others speculate about what might have motivated the man to urinate at the production site. There are those who believe that the man is part of an undercover operation orchestrated by a rivaling company, aimed at discrediting Tsingtao. It’s even suggested that there were two ‘moles’ leaking in this incident: one doing the urinating, and the other doing the video ‘leak.’
Meanwhile, there are voices who are critical of Tsingtao, suggesting that the renowned beer brand has not effectively addressed the ‘pee gate’ scandal. It remains uncertain how this incident will impact the brand, but some netizens are already expressing reservations about ordering a Tsingtao beer as a result.
But there are also those who joke about the “pissing incident,” wondering if Tsingtao Beer might soon launch a special “urine flavored beer.”
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