Chinese medicine exports abroad set off a "TCM fever"

China Daily on September 19, 2016

The export of traditional Chinese medicine has risen rapidly driven by the flexible demand of the traditional market, while the emergence of the world "fever of traditional Chinese medicine" has also stimulated the new demand in many countries and regions.

In 2017, China exported 358,000 tons of traditional Chinese medicine in the form of patented medicines, extracts and raw materials, up 0.7 percent year-on-year. According to the China chamber of commerce for import and export of pharmaceutical and healthcare products, Chinese medicine exports have now reached $3.6 billion, an increase of 2.1 percent.

"Southeast Asian countries have a tradition of using traditional Chinese medicine, and international demand for traditional Chinese medicine has been accelerated by the global 'fever' of traditional Chinese medicine," said yu zhibin, director of the Chinese medicine department of the chamber of commerce.

With the rapid development of China's economy, China's influence in the world is increasing, and Chinese brands are more and more recognized by the world.

"The emergence of a worldwide 'fever' for traditional Chinese medicine, in particular, will help promote the promotion of traditional Chinese medicine, and enable China to enhance exchanges with other regions, so that other regions can have a deeper understanding of China and Chinese culture."

Annual exports of traditional Chinese medicine have grown from less than 2 million yuan ($293,000) to more than 20 million yuan.

Many companies from African countries have actively contacted tai chi group to seek cooperation on importing Chinese medicine to Africa.

"Heatstroke and other symptoms such as stomach upset are common in Africa, and they believe that traditional Chinese medicine, which can relieve these symptoms, will be popular in Africa," wang said.

For example, "huoxiangzhengqi liquid", an oral liquid medicine, is used to treat a variety of discomforts caused by summer heat and humidity, such as acute headache, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. The liquid has been registered and exported to five southeast Asian countries, including Thailand and Malaysia.

The breed is about to enter seven other countries, including the Philippines, India and Pakistan.

In the traditional Chinese medicine market in southeast Asia, demand for Chinese medicine is far from being met, said Victor Liew, founder of Indonesia's PT.Sky One Health. The company is engaged in the import and sale of patented drugs in China.

"Due to the huge demand for traditional Chinese medicine in southeast Asia, the company's revenue is also rising," said Liew, who declined to disclose the company's annual revenue and growth rate.

Liew said the company has not had an inventory overhang since it was founded in 2010, and in 2017 it paid a total of $20 million to Chinese pharmaceutical companies for importing patented drugs from China.

The most popular varieties include drugs to boost immunity, alleviate illnesses such as stomach problems and relieve symptoms of heat stroke common in the tropics, or to improve sleep quality, Liew said.

Chinese immigrants and their descendants have helped to popularize traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times. As a result, many locals believe in traditional Chinese medicine and believe that the treatment in the ancient recipe has fewer side effects than western medicine. "Liew said.

There are many practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine in the region, and imported proprietary Chinese medicines are particularly popular because they are produced based on long-established and widely used prescriptions and have significant effects.

The lack of access to the formulations and raw materials of the drugs has made it difficult to produce the drugs locally, Liew added, which has also promoted the popularity of imported Chinese patented drugs among the general public.

However, despite the growing interest of overseas consumers in traditional Chinese medicine, only three of the many Chinese patent medicines produced by Chinese pharmaceutical companies are currently included in the European Union.

In the United States, although 12 Chinese patent medicines are currently undergoing clinical trials, successful registration of Chinese patent medicines in the name of drugs has yet to achieve a breakthrough 0, said yu zhibin, director of the Chinese medicine department of the chamber of commerce.

Among the export items of traditional Chinese medicine including extracts and raw materials, the export of patented drugs in China showed the strongest rebound in 2017, with an increase of 11.03% year-on-year in 2016.

Exports of traditional Chinese medicine extracts increased by 4.33 percent year-on-year in 2017. Extract is often used as an ingredient in cosmetics and food supplements, and usually accounts for the largest proportion of traditional Chinese medicine exports.