Shuting Fang, China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CATCM)
Release Date: 2009-08-24
To begin with, could you please introduce yourself, the CATCM and the evolution of TCM to our readers?I received my Bachelor Degree at the Beijing Institute of Chinese Medicine (now known as the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine), where then I worked for 10 years. After that I started to work in the management department, mainly engaged in scientific research and taught management together with TCM Quality Control. In 2000, I took on the position as the Deputy Director General of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and retired on 6th, Oct., 2008. Since then, I’ve been the Chairman of CATCM.
From our point of view, there are certain opinions on TCM management regarding the relationship between TCM and the international pharmaceutical industry. Firstly, all types of TCM should be understood as part of the guidance of the theory of TCM therapy. Secondly, traditional Chinese medical science and traditional Chinese medicine are complementary. Thirdly, TCM was composed of three parts: traditional Chinese medicine materials, prepared slices of TCM, and the finished TCM products. There are significant differences between China, Europe and the United States on the uses and efficacy of TCM. TCM and Western Medicine are derived from two different cultural systems. Undoubtedly, western medicine is the advanced product of modern science and technology. When people were ill, then the doctor finds out the precise cause of the illnesses. For instance, doctors can diagnose the H1N1 flu, and use drugs with highly targeted therapeutic mechanisms. Doctors from both the West and China use the same method to cure AIDS. They’ll find the AIDS virus first, and prescribe the suitable medicine, then cure the virus. The word “exterminate” represents scientific theory. There are two basic methods to cure this kind of disease by adopting TCM: one is similar to the western therapy, which is to target the root of the disease, find the virus and then kill the virus. This is what we call “eliminating pathogens.” The other therapy is more important, which we call “supporting uprightness”--- adjust a human being’s inner immune system to resist the attack of the virus. We mean “uprightness” by dint of the strength of our own bodies to resist virus attack. Take flu for example, if people can exercise more frequently days, then when the Influenza virus comes, people can resist the virus with their own immune system.
Because of the influence of cultural differences, Western countries tend to overlook the importance the second point, and it also accounts for the slow progress in TCM export and information exchange with oversea markets. Western countries put their focus on the effective chemical ingredients contained in TCM. For instance, to extract ephedrine from Ephedra, and to extract berberine from rhizoma coptidis. Since the 1970s, Germany and France have been extracting flavone from ginkgo leaf, which is very effective in treating cardiovascular and cardiovascular diseases. Since the mid 1970s, the most effective TCM usage has been to treat malaria, using artemisinine, which is extracted from Southernwood. This treatment is widely adopted in Africa and South East Asian Countries. Among these countries TCM is of primary interest in terms of extracting chemical ingredients. Speaking in broader terms, the usage of TCM in the European countries as well as the United State is still quite low.
There will be certain side effecs if one does not combine TCM and Chinese herbal medicines together, or in taking them without the guidance of a doctor. For instance, the most typical case in point is Longdan Xiegan Wan (bolus of gentian for purging liver-fire), which has been used to treat liver-fire, and the pain in the ribs. However, it is not suitable for losing weight. There are indeed two ingredients fighting dehydration, so they have a certain effect on weight loss. In many countries, certain girls that take this treatment just to loose weight. However after one year, the symptom of kidney failure occurs, which is the result of taking medicine without the guidance of the doctor. Like the United States and the European Countries, TCM has also Rx and OTC, but it’s far more complex and all products need doctors’ guidance.
At present, Traditional Chinese Medicine Science has gradually been accepted by many western countries, and along with this trends, TCM will continue to spread to a wider range of countries. There are approximately 1500 TCM finished products factories in China today. Most of their exports are food additives, primarily for Chinese communities and used under the guidance of the doctor. The most persuasive example of foreign countries using TCM treatments is in a town called Kotzing to the north of Munich in Bavaria, Germany, where Chinese doctors opened a clinic and prescribe TCM. The clinic has accommodation for more than 70 patients and is so popular that appointments must be made half year ahead of time. Therefore TCM has great influence there, and has been added to healthcare insurance. Traditional Chinese Medicine is very useful in treating some common diseases that are common in Europe such as allergies and Colonitis.
According to the overall situation mentioned above, among the exportation of TCM finished products, Chinese traditional medicine materials have taken up the largest proportion and were often exported to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia, among which were equipped with well-established modern TCM hospitals. Now, R&D institutions and organizations in both China and the European countries are working together on the TCM innovation project. TCM is very effective in treating the following diseases: cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, malignancy, and depression. We started our research on AIDS in the 1980s, and have thus far made some satisfactory achievements in highly affected areas, such as Henan and Yunan Provinces. Side effect are reduced, if we combined the cocktail treatment together with TCM. We considered such research to be a good start for TCM’s internationalization. Although the exportation of TCM is still limited, we have every confidence in our future development. China is now carrying out the healthcare reform plan for the wellbeing of the 1.3 billion Chinese citizens. Bringing TCM into play is our goal for these reforms.
The State Council announced NO. 22 document on April 22nd, 2009, namely Several Opinions of the State Council on Supporting and Accelerating Chinese Medical Development, a matching document together with the healthcare reform plan. As far as I know, although the new healthcare reform plan has not been announced yet, there are approximately 600 kinds of medicines under the basic medicine catalogue, half of which are TCM. This is also another characteristic of our country’s medicine adoption. There are still many obstacles and problems facing TCM, most of which are the natural resources that supply TCM. Some of the resources, such as wild herbal plants, are so scarce that they can only be supplied through planting.
TCM is mainly composed of three parts: plants, minerals and animals, which account for more than 12,000 types, including Ethnic medicines. Now only through manual work, plant at Plantagen, can we meet the demand of the market. Each of the 56 ethnic groups in China has their own medicine. In view of the development of our country, it should be taken as a basic state policy to facilitate the opening-up policy and the market economy.
During this progress, what role did CATCM play, and which activities have you organized to promote TCM to the world?
Our association has collaborated with other TCM organizations worldwide, and our collaboration can be summarized in three aspects. Firstly, we organize certain seminars to promote TCM science and TCM generally. By visiting each other, we can have a better understanding of how each of us formulates TCM relevant policies and regulations. Secondly, we endeavor to meet certain needs of our member companies. Our association is a social organization, acting as an intermediate between Chinese companies and multinational companies, to help them to communicate with each other. For instance, Tianjin Tasly Pharmaceutical Group’s top product, Danshen Dripping Pills has a distribution network established over 20 or more countries. They once invited 20 African countries to Tianjin to visit their factories and the usage of the Dripping Pills in China. Our association has also participated in this activity, mainly to explain to the guests the general situation of the drug. Thirdly, we introduce Chinese TCM relevant laws and regulations to foreign organizations, institutions and factories through our website. Last year, together with the officials and experts from the World Endangered Animal Protection Organization, we went to many parts of China to do investigations and research, and expressed and explained to them our endeavor to protect endangered animals. Afterwards, we also sent our experts to Holland to participate in their Forum, to enhance mutual understanding in this field.
In China, there are differences between Institutes and Associations. The former, including educational and academic organizations, are mainly focused on scientific research in one specific field. While the latter will function as a bridge between enterprises and the government. Our responsibilities are to send the message from the government to the enterprises, and likewise, to make the voices of the enterprises heard by the government. At the same time, we’ll supervise and remind those companies to maintain self-discipline and integrity.
At present, the connection between our organization and the pharmaceutical industry is still limited. However, I believe, the tie will be strengthened as China’s opening-up policy continues.
Nowadays, many multinational companies have established R&D centers in China. As far as you are concerned, do they have any intention to search for collaboration in the TCM field? Is there a possibility for collaboration between TCM and Western Medicine?
I think it’s possible to establish collaboration between TCM and Western medicine. Actually, there are some drugs that are produced as a combination of TCM and Western medicine. One situation is to serve as an adjuvant therapy to cure certain disease. For example, the cocktail treatment to cure AIDS. If we combined TCM with this treatment, it could help to reduce side effects, such as diarrhea, sweats, somnolence, etc. Another case in point is hypertension. A satisfactory efficacy can be reached to take TCM after one dosage of Western medicine for a while and lower the blood pressure to a certain degree. And in some few cases, this combination is used to cure diabetes. All these above mentioned medicines should be used upon the inspection and approval of certain Drug Administrations.
The situation now is that many TCM hospitals will also prescribe Western medicine, and vice versa. For instance, another common cases in China is that if the patient is having a high fever, and various antibiotics are having no effect, then TCM is used and it will often have satisfactory efficacy.
Nowadays, China has become diplomatically and economically strong, so is there any ambition for the Chinese government to be a superpower in Pharmaceutical Industry?
Rome was not built in a day. There are approximately 4600 TCM and Western medicine pharmaceutical companies in China, only one tenth of which can be called a big company, like North China Pharmaceutical Group, or North-East Pharmaceutical Group. However, those are still small compared with some European and the US pharmaceutical companies. Most of the big and leading companies in China are Western medicine production companies. One third of the local pharmaceutical companies in China are not big enough in scale and don’t have a strong profile in technical innovation. The situation among the TCM companies is even worse. Thus we have to strengthen our management in the course of quality control and manufacturing. Most of the time we play the role as raw material provider in the international pharmaceutical industry. For instance, we extract pharmaceutical ingredients from plants, then deliver them to oversea countries and in this way they are made into Western medicine or extracted again to be made into new drugs. Modernization and collectivization are our goals. For a big country, with 1.3 billion people, the way to meet the demand of our population is to grow our own pharmaceutical enterprises to be bigger and stronger. As for the “super power” in pharmaceutical industry, to be frank, in the visible future, I don’t see this happening.
| Company: | China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CATCM) |
| Position: | President |
| Country: | 中国 |