magic drugs 神药 shényào

‘secret recipe transmitted from ancestors’
Unproven yet lucrative nostrums offered by doctors, hospitals and pharma firms, these (literally ‘godlike’) drugs are typified by mNGF (mouse nerve growth factor), a ‘treatment’ for autism. Approved corruptly, they are now repudiated as wasting Basic Medical Insurance funds (the ‘magic’ label is ironic). Since 2019, regulators have sought to de-licence them, ending BMI coverage. A list outing ‘magic’ drugs failed to include any TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), despite many overlaps. The related term ‘magic surgery’ (神术) refers to phoney medical procedures.
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