Export of traditional Chinese medicine to Switzerland continued to decline

Influenced by the severe world economic environment, the increase of enterprise cost and exchange rate, the trade volume of traditional Chinese medicine between China and Switzerland showed a further downward trend from January to April Last year, the trade volume of traditional Chinese medicine between China and Switzerland was US $18.328 million, down 14.82% year on year The main trade activity of both sides was the export of extracts from China to Switzerland There are three main ways for the application of traditional Chinese medicine in Switzerland: first, the decoction made of Chinese herbal pieces; second, the Chinese patent medicine, the original Chinese patent medicine in China, is not allowed to be sold in Switzerland, but can be prepared according to the formula and used more; third, the finished formula Chinese medicine, that is, the non fried Chinese medicine in China, is widely used, mainly for extract powder and drops Switzerland has strict restrictions on the import and use of Chinese herbal pieces and Chinese patent medicines Traditional Chinese medicine is not allowed to enter in the name of drugs, but can only be imported and sold in the name of special food, food supplements, health products or drinks The toxicity, pesticide residue and heavy metal content of each batch of imported traditional Chinese medicine shall be tested according to the variety No matter the quantity of imported Chinese medicine is large or small, a higher test fee shall be paid for each kind In November 2005, the Swiss therapeutic products agency issued the Ordinance on complementary and herb medicinal products (ochm) In order to protect human health and ensure the high quality of medical products, according to articles 14 and 15 of the law on therapeutic products, the regulation sets out the requirements for simplified sales approval procedures of auxiliary drugs and herbal products It is expected that only mandatory notification will be provided for several drugs of the same type of therapy (home therapeutic and anthrosophic) and for the simplified documentation requirements of some drugs traditionally used by Asians The active substances permitted as ingredients of these drugs are listed in a separate annex to the regulation The regulation came into force in October 2006 The marketing license procedures for dietary supplements and herbal products include: simplified marketing license procedures for drugs or traditional drugs with long-term validation of classical efficacy with clear indications; simplified marketing license procedures for drugs without clear indications; traditional drug notice procedures without clear indications and on the TAS (traditional oriental drugs) list China's exports of Chinese patent medicines to Switzerland are very small, but since the EU traditional medicine registration directive came into force last year, China's exports of Chinese herbal medicines to the EU have shrunk Although Switzerland is not an EU country, but also affected by this, the exports have declined significantly Switzerland's health and social insurance system is very developed As a country with high wages and benefits, Switzerland's expenditure on health and medicine is relatively high, and has been rising in recent years Switzerland's aging population is serious Judging from the situation of the whole society, most of the elderly live in affluence Therefore, in addition to general therapeutic drugs, there is a long-term stable demand for all kinds of health care drugs Switzerland has a small population, a very limited market capacity, and strict regulations on drug registration and import In recent years, due to the difficulties encountered in the development of chemical drugs, Switzerland has begun to attach importance to the application of traditional medicine However, due to the limitations of the current medical management laws and regulations, there are still many difficulties in the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Switzerland Therefore, the difficulty of registration of traditional Chinese medicine in Switzerland and the subsequent market revenue are the premise for enterprises to determine whether it is worth investing time and money in the registration of traditional Chinese medicine.