A Review of the Three Chinese Patent Medicines Affirmed by China to Treat COVID-19

The Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council of China has recently held a special press conference on the research progress of COVID-19 drug R&D and vaccine development, etc. According to the principal of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China, the effective TCM formulas clinically screened include “three drugs and three formulas”, with “three drugs” being Jinhua Qinggan Granules, Lianhua Qingwen Granules and Capsules, and Xuebijing Injection. Those drugs have played an important role in this epidemic, and the National Pharmaceutical Products Administration of China (NMPA) has approved the treatment of COVID-19 as a new indication of those three drugs.

Jinhua Qinggan Granules has the efficacy of “dispelling wind, ventilating lungs, clearing heat and removing toxicity”. It can be used for fever caused by external factors, slight aversion to cold or no aversion to cold, red swollen or sore throat, nasal obstruction, running nose, thirst, cough or cough with phlegm, etc., red tongue body, thin and yellow coating, and rapid pulse. Those symptoms are similar to many symptoms of the COVID-19. Jinhua Qinggan Granules has been included in the COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme (Trial Version 4) and is recommended together with Lianhua Qingwen Capsules (Granules), Shufeng Jiedu Capsules (Granules), and Fangfeng Tongsheng Pills (Granules) for the prevention and treatment of the population under medical observation. Jinhua Qinggan Granules has been included in the following versions of the scheme.

According to Academician Zhang Boli at the press conference held by the State Council Information Office of China in Wuhan on Mar. 23, Jinhua Qinggan Granules and Lianhua Qingwen Capsules have definite efficacy against COVID-19; Lianhua Qingwen Capsules has the efficacy of “clearing heat, detoxifying and removing lung hotness” and is commonly used to treat influenza and syndrome of lungs attacked by heat toxin; it displayed good effects mainly in treating mild and common COVID-19 patients and significant effects in relieving fever, cough, and lassitude, etc. and could effectively reduce the rate of deterioration in COVID-19 patients.

The stock price of Yiling Pharmaceutical that features Lianhua Qingwen Capsules has surged for consecutive days recently and nearly doubled in recent one month (as shown in the following figure).

As one of the few TCM injections, Xuebijing Injection is mainly produced by Tianjin Chase Sun Pharmaceutical, and the company has also hit many daily upper limits recently after the NMPA approved the treatment of COVID-19 as a new indication of the drug. Xuebijing Injection has the efficacy of “promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, dredging the meridians, dispelling poisonous evil and eliminating endotoxins”. Xuebijing Injection could promote the elimination of proinflammatory factors of COVID-19 and is mainly used for the early and middle-stage treatment of severe and critically ill patients to increase the cure rate and hospital discharge rate and reduce the probability of severe patients turning critically ill.

The reform and opening-up, especially the implementation of the TCM modernization strategy, has promoted the application of western formulation technologies in TCM formulations, optimized and enriched the traditional TCM dosage forms and greatly developed the TCM technological innovation and pharmaceutical product innovation, etc. There are currently over 2,000 GMP pharmaceutical enterprises of Chinese patent medicines in China, covering more than 100 dosage forms from the traditional pill, powder, ointment, and pellet, etc. to modern dripping pill, tablet, membrane, and capsule, etc. and more than 10,000 varieties. Many excellent Chinese patent medicines have been promoted and have achieved good effects during this epidemic where there is still no specific drug. Let’s see more information on the Chinese patent medicines involved in the prevention of the epidemic.

During this epidemic, the National Health Commission of China (NHC) started to recommend the TCM in the COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme (Trial Version 3), most of which were TCM formulas and which involved only two Chinese patent drugs: separately, Angong Niuhuang Pills and Zixue Powder that could be used on the premise of “inner blocking causing collapse” upon TCM differentiation.

After the TCM’s involvement in the treatment gained big benefits, the NHC greatly increased the recommendation of TCM formulas and Chinese patent medicines in the COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme (Trial Version 4), including 1. Huoxiang Zhengqi Capsules (Pills, Liquid, Oral Liquid), Jinhua Qinggan Granules, Lianhua Qingwen Capsules (Granules), Shufeng Jiedu Capsules (Granules) and Fangfeng Tongsheng Pills (Granules) used during medical observation; 2. Xiyanping Injection, Xuebijing Injection, Suhexiang Pills, Angong Niuhuang Pills, Shenfu Injection and Shengmai Injection used during clinical treatment.

The following versions of the COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme have all involved many Chinese patent drugs: Version 5 continued those in Version 4; Version 6 included Reduning Injection, Tanreqing Injection, Xingnaojing Injection, and Shenmai Injection; the recent COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme (Trial Version 7) also includes many Chinese patent drugs, which shows the affirmative clinical results of Chinese patent drugs. More Chinese patent drugs are believed to play an important role in antiviral treatment including COVID-19 treatment, etc. in the future with the deepening of the research and the implementation of TCM modernization and other strategic measures.

References:

1. COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme (Trial Version 3);

2. COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme (Trial Version 4);

3. COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme (Trial Version 5);

4. COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme (Trial Version 6);

5. COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Scheme (Trial Version 7);

6. NHC website: www.nhc.gov.cn.

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