Hainan drug firm sues Tencent over derogatory posting

Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd may be facing a lawsuit from a pharmaceutical company based in Hainan province for allowing the spread of false information via its instant messaging platform WeChat.

In July, a WeChat post claimed that a medicine known as nimesulide granules, produced by Hainan Honz Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, had caused at least four deaths.

The drug is intended for the treatment of ear, nose and throat infections.