“Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Unani Tibb (traditional medicine in Pakistan) enjoy a broad space of collaboration in research & development, management and production,” said Prof. Liu Xinmin, Member, Expert Advisory Panel on Traditional Medicine, World Health Organization (WHO) and Co-Director of Sino-Pakistan Cooperation Center on TCM (SPCCTCM) in an interview with Gwadar Pro.

At a press conference on the efficacy and safety of Jinhua Qinggan Granules (JHQG) in treating COVID-19 patients in Pakistan at the beginning of this year, Prof. Liu Xinmin said, “this is China’s first proprietary Chinese medicine to complete clinical trials guided by drug registration abroad, and it is also the first proprietary Chinese medicine to be verified by foreign scientists on the basis of international evidence-based medicine abroad.”

Prof. Liu Xinmin told Gwadar Pro reporter that, “International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi is internationally influential in the field of natural product chemistry.This is another recognition of traditional Chinese medicine in Pakistan and even the international community after the successful clinical trial of Yinhuang Qingfei Capsule in Pakistan, and it is also a major booster to promote cooperation in traditional medicine between China and Pakistan.”

Pakistani herbal medicines have rich resources in the treatment of respiratory and skin diseases, and the products are exported to Central Asia and other countries. Pakistanis are accustomed to taking herbal medicines and are highly receptive to TCM.

“In recent years, the industrial scale and research & development level of TCM have been significantly improved. China’s management experience of high-quality herbal medicine resources can be shared with Pakistan. 

Pakistan is very active in international and exchange platforms, and Pakistan and China can jointly increase the popularity and influence of traditional medicine in the world,” Prof. Liu suggested. After thousands of years of development, TCM has developed numerous effective treatments for plague. TCM has sustained efficacy in the face of complex and variable viruses, and it is well-suited to cope with the ever-changing COVID-19 virus.

Prof. Liu Qingquan, President of Beijing Hospital of TCM introduced that TCM has formed an extremely strict theoretical law, and its rapid accessibility is one of its greatest advantages and characteristics. 

“Chinese medicine is a very valuable crystallization of human civilization, and we hope to serve mankind. Complementation of traditional Chinese and Western medicine can improve the overall therapeutic effect.”

JHQG is produced by Juxiechang (Beijing) Pharmaceutical Company. According to Mao Zhibing, R&D Director of Juxiechang, the clinical testing of JHQG in Pakistan was carried out with the support of the Chinese and Pakistani governments and top-level research teams. 

The protocols were approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, Ethics Committees in Pakistan, etc.

“We intend to have more cooperation with Pakistan, such as conducting clinical studies in Pakistan on JHQG for additional indications, including upper respiratory tract infections of influenza. Pakistan also invites us to build a factory there, and we will send a local operation team to conduct clinical trials and market some other varieties there. In this way, both sides can form a cluster effect in the clinical application, sales, and use of products,” Mao added, according to Gwadar Pro.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP