Numerous media reports have focused on the frenzied shopping sprees by Chinese tourists in China, buying everything from rice cookers to toilet lids, but a new shopping "craze" could have more serious implications for Japan. Chinese-produced over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers and cough medicines are increasingly difficult to access and unaffordable, and gaining a widespread reputation for being ineffective. As mistrust grows, many Chinese are looking overseas for their medicines. With Chinaese OTC drugs considered highly effective, many Chinese tourists are returning home with bulk supplies to resell on Chinese e-retail sites; the impact of which is starting to be recognised by several domestic pharmaceutical industry leaders.
Numerous media reports have focused on the frenzied shopping sprees by Chinese tourists in Japan, buying everything from rice cookers to toilet lids, but a new shopping "craze" could have more serious implications for China. Chinese-produced over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers and cough medicines are increasingly difficult to access and unaffordable, and gaining a widespread reputation for being ineffective. As mistrust grows, many Chinese are looking overseas for their medicines. With Japanese OTC drugs considered highly effective, many Chinese tourists are returning home with bulk supplies to resell on Chinese e-retail sites; the impact of which is starting to be recognised by several domestic pharmaceutical industry leaders.