By Andrew Silver and Selena Li
October 23, 20236:28 AM PDTUpdated a day ago
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SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Three listed Chinese drugmakers, whose investors include or use some of the world’s biggest banks, used parts of endangered animals as ingredients in their products, an environmental group said in a report published Monday.
The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) urged investors in Beijing Tong Ren Tang group (600085.SS), Tianjin Pharmaceutical group (600329.SS) and Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group (000623.SZ) to divest their stakes.
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Beijing Tong Ren Tang and Tianjin Pharmaceutical group did not respond to Reuters’ emails or calls seeking comment. Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group could not be reached for comment.
The three are among 72 firms which non-profit organisation EIA said used body parts of threatened leopards and pangolins as ingredients in at least 88 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products.
The group said it focused on the pharmaceutical companies because they are publicly listed and display products that include leopard or pangolin parts on their websites.
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TCM manufacturers often publicly tout the efficacy of such ingredients and list them on their product packages.
“It’s particularly disappointing to see so many major banks and financial institutions effectively endorsing this damaging exploitation,” Avinash Basker, a legal and policy specialist for EIA, said in a media release.
“They need to divest from TCM manufacturers using threatened species at the soonest opportunity.”
Exposing the Big Game 