Parents forced to buy drugs on black market

An inexpensive drug crucial in curing infant spasms is not provided by most hospitals in China, but is sold on the black market at prices hundreds of times what it is worth, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The drug, adrenocorticotropic hormone, normally sells for about 7.8 yuan ($1.20) a box, but some parents pay more than 4,000 yuan to scalpers for a box for their babies, it said.

A mother, surnamed Zhou, said her 8-month-old child suffered spasms and was receiving treatment in a hospital in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. The doctor said injecting ACTH is the most effective treatment, but it is unavailable at the hospital, according to the report.