Chinese medical portal censored after doubting herbal 'COVID remedy'

A popular Chinese medical information site has been censored by authorities for "violation of relevant laws and regulations", months after its criticism of a government-backed herbal COVID-19 treatment sent shares in a pharmaceutical giant tumbling.

DXY, which counts tech giant Tencent among its investors and runs a host of health-related services, previously questioned the value of Lianhua Qingwen, a herbal remedy marketed for fever and sore throats, as a COVID-19 treatment.

China approved the concoction - made up of ingredients like honeysuckle and apricot seeds - as a COVID-19 treatment in 2020, and it was distributed to Shanghai residents during the city's outbreak this year.

DXY's article, which has now been deleted from its website, was part of a wave of reports that caused shares in Lianhua Qingwen's producer - one of China's largest traditional medicine companies - to plunge.

The website has now been banned from posting on at least five of its Weibo social media accounts, with a notice at the top of its official page saying that due to "violation of relevant laws and regulations, this user is currently prohibited from posting".

DXY's official WeChat accounts, which...