Dying to Survive

Dying to Survive tells the story of Cheng Yong, a struggling aphrodisiac peddler who is facing financial difficulties and a sick father in need of urgent medical attention. One day, a mysterious man wearing multiple surgical masks approaches Cheng with a lucrative offer: smuggle a cheap, generic version of the expensive Swiss drug imatinib from India into China, and earn a large sum of money. Desperate for cash, Cheng agrees to take the risk, and soon becomes rich as more chronic myelogenous leukemia patients start buying drugs from him. However, as he witnesses the devastating effects of cancer on families and sees the hope that the affordable medication brings to patients, Cheng's motivation begins to shift. But the Chinese police are hot on the trail of the contraband Geliening, vowing to crack down on the unlicensed generic drug. With the originator company Nuo Wa (reflecting Novartis in real life) suing the Indian government for patent infringement, Cheng finds himself caught in a dangerous game. Will he be able to continue helping those in need while avoiding detection by the authorities? Dying to Survive is a 2018 comedy-drama film directed by Wen Muye, based on the true story of Lu Yong, a leukemia patient who became a symbol of hope for cancer patients in China.

Dying to Survive is currently unavailable to stream in undefined on the streaming services we have in our catalogue

Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as Dying to Survive include Joyride, Green Book, Delivery, The Favourite, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Saltburn.