Medical tourism continues to thrive on China’s Hainan island

Two years after Hainan Island, a popular Chinese tourist destination off the south coast of China, first emerged as a medical tourism hub, its authorities continue to grant special approval to foreign drugs and medical devices not legally available in mainland China. In the first quarter of 2019, the Hainan Food and Drug Administration approved the use of 32 foreign drugs and medical devices. Among them were cancer therapies and medicines to treat dermatitis and psoriasis.  The island attracts Chinese who might otherwise have to travel abroad for treatments awaiting approval on the mainland.  However, please keep in mind just because a drug or device is approved on Hainan Island, does not mean it is approved for sale in mainland China.