Sales affected

The controversy swirling around Guizhentang seems to have cast a shadow on its sales in large cities, where citizens tend to be more concerned with animal welfare.

At a large drugstore in downtown Beijing, bottled bear bile powder sells for 220 yuan per gram.

Song Yigang, a PR manager for Beijing Golden Elephant Pharmacy, said sales of Guizhentang's bear bile products are expected to halve this year in comparison to 2011 and 2012, partly due to public pressure.

The owners of several small pharmacies in Beijing said stopped selling bear bile remedies a long time ago. "Their purchase price is too high and we don't want to get in trouble," said one of the owners.

In February 2012, dozens of animal rights advocates rallied outside a Guizhentang store in Shenzhen, a large city in south China's Guangdong province, to protest its IPO plan.

Although she has suffered from hepatitis B for three decades, Li Xinmei said she would never buy any bear bile product.

"Bear bile is not the only remedy," said the 56-year-old resident of north China's Hebei province.

Zhang said AAF is working on a proposal to gradually weed out bear bile farming in the next three to five years without cutting too many jobs.

"Relevant parties should create a plan to help those working in the industry make career changes and ensure that investors don't lose too much," he said.

The organization has also called for more support from the government on research and development for bear bile substitutes.