An employee stacks Johnson& Johnson Neosporin brand boxes on the production line at the J&J consumer healthcare products plant in Lititz, Pennsylvania, the United States. [Photo/Agencies] New drugs developed by pharmaceutical companies from the United States have played an important role in improving healthcare for Chinese, according to China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment. International pharmaceutical companies, including those from the US, have kept investing in research and development of new drugs in China, which has also contributed to improved innovation and research capabilities for domestic pharmaceutical companies, said Zuo Yuzeng, chief for communications at the association's R& D-based Pharmaceutical Association Committee. The committee is comprised of 40 international companies with pharmaceutical research and development capabilities, including 12 from the US, such as MSD and Xian Janssen, he said. The companies have brought many patent drugs to Chinese patients. Many were not available in China before, and have contributed to helping patients relieve pain and prolong life, the committee said. A recent new drug that was introduced to China was Sirturo, developed by Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of US company Johnson& Johnson. The drug, the first new medication for tuberculosis worldwide for the past 45 years, has been administered in China since Feb 24, and initial results showed it is effective for patients with multidrug-resistant TB, according to Wang Bin, deputy head of disease control and prevention for the National Health Commission. Asgar Rangoonwala, president of Xian Janssen, said the drug is now being used at 16 hospitals nationwide in a trial program. In April, China Drug Administration approved a nine-way HPV vaccine, which works against up to nine types of HPV and was developed by US company MSD. A similar vaccine, which was also developed by the company and works against four types of HPV, was approved by the administration in May last year. Previously, no vaccines were available on the Chinese mainland to effectively prevent cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among Chinese women aged 15 to 44 after breast cancer, except a two-way HPV vaccine, driving many women to Hong Kong to receive such vaccines. International pharmaceutical companies have also contributed to improved capacities in innovation and research of domestic companies through increasing research and development in China, partnering with domestic research institutes and providing training, according to R & D-based Pharmaceutical Association Committee. Some domestic international companies in recent years have been developing fast and they are catching up, said Zuo from the committee. red wristbandhow to make silicone braceletscheap rubber wristbandswide rubber bands24 hour wristbandssilicone rubber bandsslap wristbands24 hour wristbands couponblack rubber bracelets
Hong Kong people will have to do a lot more in cutting down usage and disposal of plastic bags and utensils for the sake of the city's environment. Provided to China Daily Hong Kong people, especially the younger generation, talk all the time about the need to protect the environment in this city of seven million. But, they're willing to sacrifice very little in doing that. Take plastic waste for instance. Every day in Hong Kong, hundreds of thousands of styrofoam lunch boxes, along with plastic-coated cups and plastic straws, are discarded. They mostly end up in landfills that will become part of the land reclaimed from the sea. Tons of meat, vegetables and fish are transported in large styrofoam cartons that are dumped onto the streets or in the sea after use. Pieces of these offensive white plastics can be seen at all times floating on the murky waters near the fish market in Aberdeen typhoon shelter. There is a law requiring vendors to charge customers for one-use plastic bags. But, the charge, at 50 Hong Kong cents (about 6 US cents) apiece is too insignificant for most shoppers to care about. While most other major world cities, including New York, London and Shanghai, are passing stricter and stricter laws to cut down the use of plastic materials, Hong Kong is sitting tight doing precious little other than complaining. Some city authorities have banned the use of plastic straws which have long been the target of environmentalists. Discarded plastic straws, which usually end up in the ocean, are listed by environmental groups as one of the top 10 waste items found on beaches. Coffee and tea cups have also been targeted by environmentalists, prompting some coffee outlets like Starbucks in some cities to charge customers a fee for using disposal cups. They also try to offer discounts for customers who bring their own reusable cups. Do Hong Kong people care? Certainly not the fast-food joints which continue to provide customers with one-use plastic utensils, cups and straws. They also cater to many take-away customers who have no qualms about throwing away the styrofoam containers and plastic utensils after consuming their lunch or dinner. Any proposal to restrict the use of plastics would trigger a storm of protests from the powerful business groups who would object to anything that could be seen to add to their costs. Consumers will have to take the initiative to reject the use of disposable plastics for the sake of the environment.
