In recent years, as the pace of society quickens and lifestyles change, men’s health issues have gradually drawn more attention. However, problems such as low medical consultation rates, widespread misdiagnosis, and lack of long – term follow – up still remain prominent.
On May 16, the 2.0 version of the Manual on Men’s Health and Partner Happiness was officially released. Initiated by the National Journal of Andrology, hosted by the Rongtong Medical Exchange Center, and supported by Menarini, this new edition comes at a crucial time. At the event, Li Dongjie, associate chief physician at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, and Chen Jialin, CEO of Menarini China, were interviewed by Xinhua News Agency. They delved into the current state of men’s health, the difficulties patients face in seeking medical treatment, and potential solutions for the future.
Changing Disease Patterns and Persistent Treatment Hurdles
“Men’s health problems are seeing a shift in their incidence trends,” noted Li Dongjie. In recent years, diseases like erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) are no longer exclusive to the elderly. An increasing number of young people are now frequent visitors to the outpatient department.
Li Dongjie pointed out, “We are now seeing more and more patients in their twenties, thirties, and forties in our outpatient clinics.” These young patients often have a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, and suffer from issues like anxiety and obesity such as excessive mobile phone use and staying up late, further exacerbate the risk of developing these conditions. Moreover, many of these patients also have comorbidities like metabolic disorders and prostate diseases, indicating that male sexual dysfunction is not just a “physical problem” but a barometer of overall physical health.
Despite the growing incidence, there are still many unresolved structural problems in current medical practice. Firstly, the consultation rate is low. “Many people are aware of their problems but are too embarrassed to speak up. Some, even if they muster the courage to come to the hospital, want a quick fix and are reluctant to undergo systematic treatment,” Li emphasized. Due to the private nature of men’s health issues, patients often hide them, sometimes mistaking them for “normal signs of aging” or “temporary bad states,” thus delaying the best time for intervention.
Secondly, there is a lack of clear understanding of treatment. Even when some patients are aware of their problems, they lack a scientific basis for judgment. They often self – diagnose and “prescribe medicine” based on online advertisements or social media content, or rely solely on over – the – counter drugs or health products to “alleviate the embarrassment.” “This is very common in our clinical practice. Patients usually don’t come to the clinic until their condition worsens or they experience psychological stress,” said Li Dongjie.
Thirdly, there is a lack of awareness of long – term management. Li believes that men’s health diseases often require periodic follow – up and treatment evaluation, but currently, most patients lack the awareness of “chronic disease management.” He pointed out, “Some people stop treatment once they feel the medicine works after taking it once. And when the problem recurs, they become anxious and keep changing treatment methods, even turning to folk remedies.” The lack of continuous treatment traps many patients in a vicious cycle of “treatment – giving up – exacerbation.”
“From a professional perspective, ED and PE are not difficult to treat. The key is whether patients can take the first step and receive professional guidance for standardized and continuous treatment,” Li Dongjie said. Without full – cycle diagnostic and treatment cognitive support, it is difficult to reverse the situation with just one consultation or one publicity campaign.
Upgraded Manual Focuses on “Partner – based Treatment”
“This is not just a manual about diseases; it’s more like a family manual for gender understanding, health collaboration, and scientific decision – making,” Chen Jialin summarized when talking about the core upgrades of the 2.0 version of the *Manual on Men’s Health and Partner Happiness*.
The update of the new version of the manual addresses the multiple practical problems in current men’s health management, such as “cognitive fragmentation, lack of action, and absence of partners.” Among them, “partner – based treatment” is clearly set as one of the main logical lines of the book. Through a lot of life – like expressions, it encourages spouses to participate in treatment, support communication, and jointly improve their lifestyle. “We hope this manual can be the key to opening up conversations in families,” said Chen Jialin.
Li Dongjie highly this. “From a clinical perspective, the attitude of the spouse directly affects whether a man seeks medical treatment and his subsequent treatment compliance. Many patients are ‘persuaded’ to the outpatient department by their wives, and whether the treatment can be adhered to in the end is also closely related to the spouse’s understanding,” he said.
In addition to strengthening the concept of “joint participation of partners,” the 2.0 version of the *Manual* more clearly and specifically introduces mainstream modern medical treatment methods. It interprets the mechanisms of action, medication cycles, and compliance management of oral treatment options widely recommended in international and Chinese guidelines – PDE5 inhibitors (such as tadalafil) and 5 – HT reuptake inhibitors (such as dapoxetine) in the treatment of ED and PE, helping patients and their families more accurately understand the logic of drug use and avoid non – regular medication behaviors like “taking it once and then stopping.”
Furthermore, the new version of the manual emphasizes the concept of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment, demonstrating the consensus integration of Chinese clinical experts in treatment ideas. Chen Jialin mentioned, “We see more and more hospitals exploring the combination of traditional Chinese medicine conditioning concepts with modern treatment methods, such as drug treatment combined with emotional regulation, spleen and kidney conditioning, and lifestyle improvement. The *Manual* has also designed special content for this, reflecting the scientific value of localized treatment.”
“We should not only tell patients ‘what this disease is’ but also ‘what to do and how to do it.’ This is the responsibility we, as pharmaceutical companies and participants in health communication, should bear,” Chen Jialin said. The launch of the 2.0 version of the *Manual* is a systematic upgrade, marking an important shift in the industry from “talking about drugs” to “talking about solutions” and from “talking about knowledge” to “talking about collaboration.”
Li Dongjie also pointed out, “In the past, many health promotions were about doctors and companies talking, while patients and their families just listened. This manual is a very good attempt, allowing patients to build judgment through reading, build understanding in the family, and build confidence in practice.”
Multilateral Collaboration to Promote the Development of Men’s Health Ecosystem
“As doctors, what we can do is to bring patients in and write the first prescription. But whether they can continue treatment, whether they will return for follow – up, and whether there is a scientific follow – up mechanism – all these require the participation of more parties,” Li Dongjie admitted. Currently, the field of men’s health still faces a practical dilemma: the lack of closed – loop support in the diagnosis and treatment chain, and the incomplete connection of various links other than professional doctors.
He believes that many patients “disappear after one treatment” not because they are not satisfied with the effect but because there is no specific, convenient, and reliable management plan for the follow – up. “Treatment is not a one – time thing; it’s a journey. If no one accompanies them on this journey, it’s easy to give up halfway.” In his view, promoting the transformation of men’s health to a “chronic disease management” model is the key challenge in the next stage.
In response, Chen Jialin emphasized, “Enterprises should not just stop at providing drugs but should go further and become a multi – directional bridge connecting doctors, pharmacies, e – commerce platforms, and patients.” He said that men’s health is no longer just “the business of hospitals” but a systematic project covering the vast out – of – hospital market. “We must start from the needs of patients, create more diverse and efficient drug – purchasing and health – management scenarios, and help them obtain scientific and sustainable support at any touchpoint.”
In this context, chain pharmacies and medical e – commerce platforms are becoming important components of the “second diagnosis and treatment space” in the field of men’s health. Menarini is actively exploring cooperation with leading domestic retail pharmacies to promote the development of the men’s health field and vigorously promoting the application of the *Manual on Men’s Health and Partner Happiness* in the daily patient education scenarios of pharmacy staff. For example, as one of the most extensive drug retail networks in China, Nepstar actively participated in the content co – construction and patient education promotion in this update of the manual. “We are integrating the content of the new version of the manual into our daily patient education scenarios to help pharmacists become patients’ first health consultants,” Chen Jialin pointed out.
In addition to offline pharmacies, medical e – commerce platforms have also become a key path to expand the accessibility of drugs and the coverage of patient education. Menarini is actively embracing the Internet ecosystem and has carried out in – depth cooperation with leading platforms such as Ali Health. On May 15, Menarini and Ali Health jointly launched a men’s health science popularization dialogue to discuss how to optimize the online drug – purchasing process and enrich the presentation of science popularization content, helping patients complete the complete closed – loop of “cognition – decision – drug purchase” at home.
Chen Jialin believes that future men’s health management must be a “multi – point touch, full – chain collaboration” model. “We jointly build an ecosystem through hospitals, pharmacies, and e – commerce platforms, enabling patients to obtain authoritative, practical, and coherent health solutions whether in the clinic, pharmacy, or in front of their mobile phone screens.” At the same time, enterprises will continue to work with experts, associations, and channels to continuously update patient education tools and promote the consensus of diagnosis and treatment knowledge and the integration of service experiences.
At the end of the interview, Li Dongjie said, “We hope that in the future diagnosis and treatment system, doctors can rest assured to hand over patients to the subsequent links without worrying about losing contact with patients once they leave the clinic.” And Chen Jialin also responded, “We look forward to this not being the effort of one brand or one hospital but the consensus of responsibility across the entire industry – working together to make up for the shortcoming of men’s health, guiding every patient from ‘knowing they are sick’ to ‘being willing to manage’ and ultimately leading to a happy life.”
Related topics:
Aquablation Therapy: New Hope for Men with Enlarged Prostate
40% of perimenopausal women have untreated VMS
New Robotic Prostate Cancer Treatment Causes Fewer Side Effects
