China strikes diabetes

The following article by Bhabani Shankar Nayak highlights China’s groundbreaking advances in tackling one of the world’s most devastating illnesses. According to the International Diabetes Federation, 589 million adults currently live with diabetes, a figure projected to reach 853 million by 2050. The disease causes 3.4 million deaths annually and costs over USD 1 trillion in healthcare spending. For Western pharmaceutical corporations, the author argues, this represents a lucrative “business of sickness,” that is focused not on curing diabetes but on managing it – for a profit.

Bhabani writes that China may now be disrupting this model. Scientists at Tianjin First Central Hospital have developed a stem-cell therapy using patients’ own fat cells to generate insulin-producing islet cells. Implanted under the abdomen, these cells restore natural insulin regulation. Clinical trials show extraordinary results: Type-1 patients stopped insulin within 75 days, and Type-2 patients within eleven weeks. The European Medical Journal hailed this as a “milestone,” while China’s National Medical Products Administration is fast-tracking further trials to make the therapy widely available within three years.

This development comes hot on the heels of a recent innovation by Shanghai doctors restoring normal insulin production using pancreatic cells derived from the patient’s own stem cells.

Bhabani stresses that China’s successes in medical science are rooted in the country’s policy-driven investment in public health and medical research, exemplified by the “Shanghai Integration Model” that integrates public initiatives with research-based medicine. Unlike profit-driven Western systems, China’s approach is grounded in the principle of health over profit, producing breakthroughs not only in diabetes but also in AIDS and obesity treatment.

Contrasting China’s people-centred development with Western capitalism, Bhabani concludes that while “imperialism—led by the United States—invests in war,” China invests in life-saving science. Its model, he argues, offers an alternative based on collective welfare, innovation, and human dignity.

In a world shaped by competing models of development, China’s approach stands as a powerful alternative rooted in collective welfare, scientific progress, and the dignity of life.

Bhabani Shankar Nayak is a Professor of Business Management at London Metropolitan University. He is the author or editor of numerous books and articles on China and other issues related to development in the Global South. This article was first published in Countercurrents.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF)’s Diabetes Atlas reports that 589 million adults (aged 20–79) are currently living with diabetes—equivalent to 1 in 9 adults worldwide. This number is projected to rise to 853 million by 2050. The report also states that diabetes was responsible for 3.4 million deaths in 2024, equating to one death every nine seconds. Additionally, diabetes accounted for at least USD 1 trillion in health expenditures, representing a 338% increase over the past 17 years. The report further predicts that diabetes-related health spending will continue to rise, exceeding USD 1.054 trillion by 2045.

Diabetes is a silent epidemic, causing death and suffering on an unimaginable scale. However, for pharmaceutical corporations, insurance companies, and private healthcare providers, it represents a highly profitable business opportunity. The commercialization of illness lies at the heart of capitalism, particularly in the healthcare models practiced by many large corporations based in the United States and Europe. The pharmaceutical industry manages diabetes through ongoing treatment but rarely invests in a cure—treating the disease as though it were incurable.

However, this long-standing dream of capitalist corporations and their multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical “business of sickness” is facing disruption. Chinese scientists have discovered a method to reverse both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes using stem cell therapy based on induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. This technique involves reprogramming adult cells to behave like embryonic stem cells. In this breakthrough, Chinese researchers use a patient’s own fat cells to generate insulin-producing islet cells, which are then injected under the anterior rectus sheath of the abdomen. Once implanted, these cells begin to regulate blood sugar levels naturally by producing insulin—just as a healthy pancreas would. Initial trials conducted at Tianjin First Central Hospital have shown remarkable results: patients with Type-1 diabetes were able to stop insulin use entirely within seventy-five days, while those with Type-2 diabetes achieved the same outcome in just eleven weeks. The European Medical Journal described the development as a milestone, stating, “Stem-Cell Therapy success in China marks a milestone in Type-1 Diabetes treatment”.

The Chinese National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) is fast-tracking the next phase of clinical trials, aiming to address this global epidemic within the next three years. With this breakthrough, China is poised to transform the global healthcare industry. It marks a significant step toward ending the silent epidemic of diabetes and alleviating the suffering of millions around the world. This development also poses a major challenge to profit-driven pharmaceutical corporations and healthcare industries that have long relied on the continuous demand for insulin, diabetes medications, and related medical equipment.

The rise of medical technology, innovations in medical science, and advancements in health research in China are not accidental. They are the result of deliberate policy decisions and strategic investments by the People’s Republic of China, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The Chinese government has been actively deepening health research and reforming its healthcare system, which led to the development of the “Shanghai Integration Model” (SIM). This model fosters efficiency and synergy between public health initiatives and research-driven medical services. Fundamentally, it stands in opposition to the privatization of healthcare and the commercialisation of illness. These forward-thinking health policies have also contributed to major medical breakthroughs, including treatments for AIDS and obesity developed by Chinese scientists.

All major Chinese universities offer medical science and health-related programs, supported by dedicated research institutes and centers. These programs, offered by public universities, are grounded in the principle of public health over profit. At their core is the goal of freeing people from curable, preventable, and life-threatening diseases. The focus is on using knowledge to empower humanity and promote health and well-being. This mission aligns with the broader vision of the Chinese Communist Party–led government, which prioritizes human welfare, health, and happiness through science-driven public policy.

While imperialism—led by the United States—continues to manufacture conflict and invest heavily in high-tech weaponry to sustain the highest stage of capitalism through violence, destruction, and control, China is taking a different path. It is investing in life-saving medicines and medical technologies aimed at improving human health and well-being. In the midst of ongoing anti-China propaganda campaigns, the contrast is stark. The alternatives are clear: a world driven by war and profit, or one focused on health, innovation, and the collective good.

It is impossible to overlook the scale of people-centered development in China, where the state and government prioritise the well-being of the working masses. In contrast, governments in the United States and Western Europe often serve corporate interests, particularly in the healthcare sector, where profit is placed above public health. As a result, health corporations in these countries thrive financially—often at the expense of human lives and well-being.

Therefore, it is imperative to expose the hypocrisy embedded in Western systems—where profit is prioritised over people—while defending China and its working-class-driven innovations that advance human health and happiness. In a world shaped by competing models of development, China’s approach stands as a powerful alternative rooted in collective welfare, scientific progress, and the dignity of life.