Internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine: only with safety standards can there be a market

Chinese patent medicines made in China are once again treated coldly abroad According to reports, the UK drug administration announced that it would strictly prohibit the sale of unlicensed Chinese herbal products in clinics and markets in the UK from April 30 next year So far, no Chinese herbal products have been officially licensed in the UK This is undoubtedly a new blow to the overseas promotion and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine Internationalization has been regarded as a way for Chinese medicine industry to break through the difficulties Traditional Chinese medicine has the characteristics of using natural medicine and emphasizing health care and prevention It is in line with the new consumption habits in the world, so it has been placed high hopes However, the effect of internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine is not good, and its share in the international market is very low Of course, there are pure foreign factors For example, the differences of views on herbal medicine among EU countries affect the formation of a unified policy, so they are more cautious about Chinese patent medicines, and the potential of the East Asian market is greater Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine should be integrated into the western medicine system, especially when it is full of quantitative and specific standards from experimental demonstration to specific application, it will encounter cultural differences However, on the other hand, this kind of thinking difference is not the biggest obstacle to the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine, because in recent years, the concept of plant medicine in the west is gradually changing, and its use is on the rise, while domestic traditional Chinese medicine is not on the fast track At present, the biggest obstacle encountered by traditional Chinese medicine is safety concerns, such as excessive mercury in traditional Chinese medicine, which has aroused vigilance abroad Therefore, the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine should not be carried out too quickly First, it is necessary to formulate and strictly implement unified industry and safety production standards at home to ensure safety before seizing international opportunities, which is also conducive to protecting the rights and interests of domestic patients as the largest consumer group The domestic traditional Chinese medicine enterprises are generally underdeveloped, the heavy metal pollution, pesticide residues, harmful substances, prohibited components and other problems in the production process are serious, and the quality and stability cannot be guaranteed, while the drug safety problem and extensive production are each other However, the government has not formulated and implemented strict quality standards, and there is no unified standard for the processing and extraction process of medicinal materials A large number of medicinal materials from small workshops have become the source of the problem In this case, the principle that "iron making needs to be hard" also applies The cold treatment of Chinese patent medicine in the world is not so-called western prejudice or discrimination Chinese medicine enterprises are more unlikely to ignore their own shortcomings for such reasons Compared with "Chinese medicine" in Japan and "Korean medicine" in South Korea, they have a higher position in the world, especially the former accounts for 80% of the international market share The reason is that it well combines the international rules and traditional Chinese medicine theory, which is worth pondering and learning for Chinese Medicine enterprises At present, domestic enterprises only export traditional Chinese medicine and can not provide drugs that meet the international consumer standards On the contrary, a large number of "foreign traditional Chinese medicine" produced by foreign countries occupy the Chinese market by virtue of their advantages in quality and efficacy, which is more reflective In short, the so-called thinking or cultural differences can no longer be the reason for domestic enterprises to be complacent In recent years, there have been many deaths and adverse reactions caused by traditional Chinese medicine injection The safety of traditional Chinese medicine is not only related to its internationalization, but also closely related to the basic people's livelihood Sometimes the international pressure will become the driving force for domestic change For example, the melamine incident is largely due to New Zealand's troubles Such a "curve to save the country" has its value Some experts said angrily that the standard of traditional Chinese medicine can not be set by others, but they must first have strength, which comes from the trust of patients Market competition will not be merciful to any so-called "national essence" Traditional Chinese medicine enterprises should not demand the loyalty of consumers in the name of "traditional culture", but develop the traditional charm by respecting consumers' safety concerns and meeting consumers' medical needs.