Experts to compile textbook on traditional Chinese patent medicine

Traditional Chinese patent medicine, including pills, capsules, and ointments made from Chinese herbal medicines, will soon have their own textbook, Beijing Huimin Health and Medical Development Foundation announced Friday.

Entitled "Proper Use of Traditional Chinese Patent Medicine" , the textbook seeks to end the semi-anarchical state of traditional Chinese patent drugs by guiding doctors in their prescriptions, said Hui Lusheng, the board chairman of the Foundation.

There are more than 9,000 traditional Chinese patent medicines, of which around 1,000 are widely prescribed by practitioners, according to Hui.

"Doctors, without a systematic understanding, usually prescribe them according to the instructions from drug makers," noted Hui.

Sun Xianze, an official with China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), told Xinhua that traditional Chinese patent medicines, though mild and natural, can still have adverse drug reactions.

Their improper use, therefore, may do harm to patients or reduce the effectiveness of the mixtures, said Sun.

The Foundation has invited over 30 Chinese pharmaceutical and clinical specialists to participate in writing the textbook. Liu Qingquan, an expert from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine who is assisting in compiling the book, said the textbook should be both authoritative and easy to read.

"Doctors can use it as a reference book while ordinary patients, by reading it, can understand what they are taking," said Liu.

Source:Xinhua