A compound flu formula developed by a listed Chinese herbal medicine maker has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical tests, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The report said that the approval is expected to make way for the Chinese herbal medicine to enter the U.S. market.
According to Yiling Pharmaceutical, a company listed in Shenzhen, its U.S. subsidiary received the approval for trials for its Lianhuaqingwen capsule, a compound herbal medicine for treating the common cold and influenza.
The report said that the medicine was developed through the use of modern research on viruses and bacteria as Chinese therapists adopted prescriptions from ancient records on herbal medicine.
The efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine has long been questioned by Western medical circle, due to the complex herbal ingredients and pharmacology of traditional Chinese medicine, according to the report.
In 2009, when the influenza Type A H1N1 virus broke out, the medicine was used in clinical treatment by nine Chinese hospitals that participated in international trials which tested the medicine's efficacy and safety. The World Health Organization recognized this through hospitals' records that documented the use of the drug during the epidemic.
The Chinese medicine has shown effectiveness in treating flu symptoms including fever, nasal congestion, cough and muscle soreness in clinical tests.
The capsule, one of the top-selling anti-influenza drugs in China, is available in 120,000 pharmacies in the country. It is also available in Hungary, Canada and Indonesia.
Getting an FDA certificate would further enhance the herbal medicine's standing in the international market, the company said.