In 2007, the industrial output value of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) reached 177.2 billion yuan (US$25.98 billion), accounting for 26.53 percent of the total pharmaceutical industrial output value, says a white paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council on Friday.

TCM and folk medicine are special characteristics and advantages of Chinese medical science, and also important parts of the splendid culture of the Chinese nation.

So far, more than 9,000 kinds of TCM preparations have been approved by the state to be sold on the market, and about 58,000 approval numbers have been granted, says the paper.

The Chinese government has attached great importance to TCM's role in the prevention and treatment of diseases and drawn up a series of administrative regulations and policies. It works constantly to improve the supervision of TCM and promotes the steady improvement of the quality of TCM, the paper says.

There are 7,014 national standards for TCM in China and among them, the 2005 National Pharmacopoeia records 582 kinds of Chinese crude drugs, prepared slices of Chinese crude drugs, fats and extracts, as well as 564 kinds of TCM preparations, says the paper.

To ensure the safety and efficacy of TCM injections, and establish effective quality control methods, the state is enhancing the standardization of TCM injections, the paper says.

In 1992 the state issued the Regulations on the Protection of Traditional Chinese Medicines, to encourage research and development of TCM varieties for clinical practice, and exercise classified protection of TCM varieties with steady quality and proved curative effects. By the end of 2007, there were 2,469 kinds of TCM varieties under state protection, it says.

The government attaches importance to heighten the production standards of prepared slices of Chinese crude drugs, according to the paper.

Since 2004, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification has been introduced, which facilitated the modernization of prepared slices of Chinese crude drugs. By the end of 2007, a total of 343 enterprises had passed GMP certification, and from January 1, 2008, all enterprises involved in processing prepared slices of Chinese crude drugs must comply with the GMP requirements.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2008)