Traditional Chinese medicine needs clinical trials

◆ Penelope

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Traditional Chinese medicine needs to prove its worth through rigorous clinical trials, according to the head of one of China’s largest herbal remedy companies, as a contentious new law to boost the $40bn sector comes into effect.

Traditional Chinese medicine is estimated by analysts to account for a third of sales in China’s $117bn pharmaceutical market, the world’s second largest.But most of those sales are of relatively cheap over-the-counter drugs, with many Chinese hospital doctors reluctant to prescribe TCM remedies(救濟方法)because of the lack of evidence for their effectiveness.

China’s first law promising equal status for TCM and western medicine in the country’s state-dominated healthcare system comes into effect this weekend.Provisions include encouragement for hospitals to set up TCM centres, and a licensing system for practitioners.“This law is very important for securing the status of TCM,” said Wu Yiling, chairman of Yiling Pharmaceutical, a company that makes herbal remedies based on traditional recipes in the northern province of Hebei.

Listed in Shenzhen, Yiling has a market capitalisation of Rmb20.7bn ($3bn).Mr.Wu, the son of a herbal practitioner, controls a family fortune of $1.6bn, according to the Hurun rich list.

Mr.Wu is both a proponent(支持者)of the nature of Qi—the mystical energy force that provides the basis for much of TCM theory—and the clinical trials crucial to western pharmaceutical(藥學)companies.“TCM needs to develop...using modern research methods,” he said.

For instance, researchers from Peking and Cardiff Universities tested the health benefits of Yiling’s herbal medicine Yangzheng Xiaoji, publishing papers in the International Journal of Oncology that showed the drug can slow the growth of cancer tumours.“The theory and recipe is TCM, but in practice the evaluation of our medicines is carried out according to western evidence-based methods,” Mr.Wu said.

Yiling and other TCM companies are attempting to gain credibility in the domestic market through pursuing overseas approvals.The company increased sales of its flagship anti-cold drug by a quarter last year after it reached the second phase of clinical trials with the US Food and Drug Administration.

A compound made by Shanghai-listed Tasly Pharmaceutical in December became the first Chinese herbal drug to pass the FDA’s phase-three clinical trials, causing a spike in the company’s share price.

Analysts say such tests can help win over sceptical hospital doctors and boost prescriptions.“Doctors need strong evidence that drugs definitely work,” said Serena Shao, healthcare analyst at brokerage CLSA.“Some of these companies are currently doing clinical trials, and getting proof that their drugs have the same efficacy as chemical drugs.That’s the way to go,” she added.

The TCM law has been greeted with scepticism from China’s western-schooled medical establishment, which points to a lack of rigorous training for TCM doctors, and a recent series of scandals involving herbal injections alleged to have been harmful.Officials “will try and encourage TCM, but also will be very cautious about what kinds of TCM they use in hospitals”, added Ms.Shao.

閱讀理解：

1.Why does traditional Chinese medicine need to prove its worth through rigorous clinical trials?

A.Because Chinese government wants to boost the law of Chinese medicine.

B.Because Chinese medicine market is the world’s second largest one.

C.Because Chinese medicines are all cheap over-the-counter drugs.

D.Because doctors are unwilling to prescribe TCM remedies lacking evidence of effectiveness.

2.“TCM” in the second paragraph is probably short for ______.

A.Terminal-to-Computer-Multiplexer B.Turner Classic Movies

C.Traditional Chinese Medicine D.Test Controlling Module

3.Which word can be used to replace the underlined word in the third paragraph?

A.Ways of supplying.B.Articles of law.

C.Methods of motivation.D.Approaches to inspiring.

4.According to the passage, we can learn that Mr.Wu Yiling’s success is owing to ______.

A.his supporting the nature of Qi—the mystical energy force

B.his scientific combination of Chinese and western medicine

C.his simply pursuing overseas approvals

D.his company increasing sales of its flagship anti-cold drug

5.According to the last two paragraphs, we can infer that ______.

A.traditional Chinese medicine hasn’t been recognized in the international medicine

B.some doctors suspect Chinese medicine of its effectiveness

C.there is a lack of rigorous training for TCM doctors

D.a recent series of scandals has destroyed Chinese medicine

答案與解析:

1.D。細節理解題。文章第一句話是題干信息，從第二段最后可以看到問題的答案，故D正確。

2.C。詞義理解題。文章的話題就是中醫藥療效的測試，所以這個縮寫詞和醫藥有關，故C正確。

3.B。詞義推測題。第三段話題說的是“China’s first law”, 所以劃線的詞是法律條款,故B正確。

4.B。段意理解題。從文章的第五段內容和第六段中吳以嶺的話中可以歸納出的原因是B。

5.A。段落推斷題。從最后一段第一句話中可以推斷A選項正確。其他選項都是直接信息，不符合推斷題規則。