Ethnic medicines are eager to soon reap the policy benefits of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Law. A CPPCC member has proposed accelerating the development of a catalog of classic prescriptions.

　　Against the backdrop of the enactment of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Law, ethnic medicines are ushering in new opportunities.

　　The “Law on Traditional Chinese Medicine” clearly defines the development pathway for classic prescriptions, proposing that they can be developed into “compound Chinese medicine preparations derived from ancient, time-honored classic formulas.” This indicates that a “catalog” is a fundamental step in the development of these classic formulas. However, although ethnic medicines represented by Tibetan, Mongolian, and Uyghur medicines possess well-established medical theoretical systems and classical texts, the compilation and cataloging of these ethnic classic formulas have yet to begin, and a clear “catalog” remains absent.

　　During this year’s Two Sessions, Lei Jufang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairwoman of Qizheng Tibetan Medicine, proposed that, in order to enable the ethnic medicine industry to quickly reap the policy benefits brought by the “Law on Traditional Chinese Medicine,” a systematic approach could be adopted: systematically collate and catalog mature products, promptly review and release them in batches.

　　Regarding the preliminary preparations for compiling the catalog, Lei Jufang told reporters, “We’ve been talking about this for quite some time already—actually, everyone has a good sense of it. We won’t include some particularly difficult-to-obtain drugs, such as those that contain musk. What everyone is really focusing on are drugs that already have a sizable market and are relatively well-established.”

　　“Catching Up” on the Policy Benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine

　　Traditional ethnic formulas have a long history. For example, Tibetan medicine includes 443 commonly used classic formulas in the "Four Medical Tantras," which date back to the 8th century AD; Mongolian medicine still relies on more than 300 classic formulas today, while Uyghur medicine continues to use over 200 classic formulas. Currently, the classic formulas of Tibetan, Mongolian, Uyghur, Dai, Zhuang, and Kazakh medicines that are being examined for approval number approximately 1,050 when averaged at 150 per ethnic group. However, only a few dozen of these formulas have been developed into nationally approved pharmaceutical products.

　　Lei Jufang introduced that these classic prescriptions, which have been tested through thousands of years of clinical practice, are still widely used today in ethnic hospitals of the Tibetan, Mongolian, and Uyghur peoples. Some of these formulations are even used abroad, demonstrating their efficacy and enduring vitality, and thus making them worthy of further development and utilization.

　　According to the “Traditional Chinese Medicine Law” promulgated in 2016, the development pathway for classic prescriptions has been clearly defined, stating that such prescriptions can be developed into “compound Chinese medicinal preparations derived from ancient classic prescriptions.” The implementing rules also stipulate that “specific management measures shall be formulated jointly by the drug regulatory authority under the State Council and the competent authority for traditional Chinese medicine.” The “ancient classic prescriptions” referred to in the preceding paragraph are those formulas recorded in ancient TCM texts that remain widely used today, have proven efficacy, and possess distinct characteristics and advantages. The specific catalog of these prescriptions shall be formulated jointly by the competent authority for traditional Chinese medicine under the State Council and the drug regulatory authority.

　　The term “traditional Chinese medicine” as used in the Law on Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a collective designation encompassing the medicinal practices of all ethnic groups in China, including both Han and minority ethnic medicines. However, Lei Jufang pointed out that, in reality, the progress in compiling classic prescriptions of narrow-sense traditional Chinese medicine and those of minority ethnic groups is not synchronized. While the compilation of classic prescriptions of narrow-sense traditional Chinese medicine has already built up several years of groundwork, the compilation and cataloging of classic prescriptions of ethnic groups such as Tibetan, Mongolian, and Uyghur have yet to be initiated.

　　Therefore, Lei Jufang’s proposal calls upon the authorities in charge of traditional Chinese medicine and the drug regulatory authorities to prioritize the compilation, cataloging, and finalization of ancient ethnic classic prescriptions that “are still widely used today, have proven efficacy, and possess distinct characteristics and advantages,” and to approve their development and utilization.

　　“If we don’t take on this work, the ethnic minority sector will fall behind in the process of app development,” said Lei Jufang. “I hope everyone can move forward in sync.”

　　Call for an appropriate acceleration in the development of traditional ethnic medicines.

　　In the recently released new edition of the National Reimbursement Drug List, the number of ethnic medicines included has increased significantly. According to available information, in the 2017 edition of the drug list, Western medicines and traditional Chinese medicines accounted for 51% and 49% respectively, remaining roughly even. Relevant authorities specifically convened experts in ethnic minority medicine to evaluate traditional medicines used by ethnic groups such as the Tibetan and Mongolian peoples. As a result, 41 new ethnic medicines were added, representing a 90% increase—far exceeding the growth rate of other drugs.

　　In the view of Liang Jun, Executive Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Association for Ethnic Medicine, the medical systems of various ethnic groups are interconnected yet relatively independent. The "Law on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ethnic Medicine" represents significant support and impetus for the development of ethnic medicine, reflecting the nation’s high regard for ethnic pharmaceuticals. Time-honored classic prescriptions carry profound traditional significance, and their continued传承 should be further developed.

　　Many ethnic medicines have distinctive traditional dosage forms. While preserving their unique characteristics and ensuring therapeutic efficacy, moderate improvements to these dosage forms can help meet broader public needs and further expand the market for ethnic medicines. Lei Jufang proposed that, when drafting technical guidelines for the registration of time-honored ethnic prescriptions, the characteristic dosage forms commonly used in ethnic medicines could be taken into account, allowing for the retention and development of these distinctive features. For example, Tibetan medicines are often administered in solid dosage forms such as pills and powders, with small dosages; following traditional manufacturing processes, they are well-suited for being formulated into pills, tablets, capsules, and other dosage forms.

　　Among the 200 varieties included in the Tibetan Medicine Department-issued standards, more than 90 are powders. However, this dosage form has not been widely adopted and promoted in mainland China. Lei Jufang pointed out that, in fact, by transforming these powders into modern dosage forms such as capsules, pellets, or granules, it is entirely possible to improve the original formulation. Nevertheless, changing the dosage form entails enhancing compliance and ensuring superior efficacy across different formulations; thus, the progress in demonstrating the feasibility of these dosage-form modifications remains somewhat lagging.

　　In the view of Wang Ju, former Deputy Director of the Cultural Promotion Department of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, relatively few ethnic medicines have been registered and bear official batch numbers during their application. Under these circumstances, most of the traditional ethnic medical practices rely on hospital preparations—but such preparations cannot leave the hospital setting, thus limiting the number of patients who can benefit from ethnic medicine treatments. Therefore, the development of ethnic medicines should be appropriately accelerated to enable more patients to reap their benefits.

　　Reporting media: Daily Economic News

　　Report link: http://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2017-03-03/1081223.html