On the sun-soaked southern tip of China, a new kind of medical tourism is quietly unfolding. It’s not about cosmetic surgery or wellness spas but about survival.
Every month, hundreds of desperate cancer patients from across China and increasingly, from Southeast Asia and the Middle East, arrive in Hainan - lured by a unique promise of access to cutting-edge, experimental cancer drugs.
The Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone, a specially designated medical tourism hub in Hainan, is at the heart of this surge. Under a rare regulatory framework approved by Beijing, hospitals and biotech partners here are allowed to import and administer unapproved, investigational drugs - without waiting for the usually lengthy national regulatory approval process.
“We came here because we were out of options,” said Liu Mei, a 47-year-old schoolteacher from Sichuan, whose husband is undergoing treatment for late-stage liver cancer. “This is the only place we could try something new before it’s too late.”
Launched in 2019, the Boao Lecheng zone was envisioned as a sandbox for medical innovation. Today, it houses more than 20 hospitals and clinics, many in partnership with pharmaceutical giants and startups alike. Drugs that have passed safety and efficacy trials overseas - particularly in the US, Japan, and Europe - can be fast-tracked for use here.
One such drug is Tarlatamab, a novel lung cancer therapy developed by Amgen that’s still awaiting full approval in China but is already being used in Boao. For many patients, it’s a last-ditch shot at extending life.
“This model flips the script,” said Dr. Wang Jinxin, oncologist at the Boao Evergrande International Hospital. “We are giving people access to hope — not in five years, but now.”
Yet, the zone’s rapid growth has sparked debate. Critics argue that fast-tracking unapproved drugs risks undermining clinical trial standards and may exploit vulnerable patients.
“This is not a controlled clinical trial , this is compassionate use under a loophole,” said Dr. Li Haoran, a Beijing-based bioethicist.
Patients must sign extensive waivers acknowledging the experimental nature of the drugs. Some pay out of pocket, with costs reaching tens of thousands of yuan per treatment cycle and insurance rarely covers it, yet, many are willing to take that gamble.
“I’m not waiting for paperwork in Beijing while cancer spreads,” said Xu Jinrong, a former logistics worker with advanced gastric cancer. “If I have one chance, I’ll take it.”
The Boao model is also closely being monitored by global pharmaceutical companies. Hainan offers real-world testing environments for their products in a country with a massive patient base - without full regulatory delays.
Some observers believe Hainan’s success could pave the way for regulatory overhauls across China and beyond.
“What’s happening in Hainan is China’s play to become a global hub for medical innovation,” said Daniel Zhang, an analyst at SinoHealth Research. “If it works here, they’ll scale it.”
As Beijing expands the Boao zone and courts more biotech investment, the line between innovation and experimentation may grow thinner. For now, Hainan stands as a unique and controversial experiment in fast-access medicine.
And for those who arrive with hope packed into carry-ons and plastic medical folders, the island offers them the second chance they often can’t find elsewhere.
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