神马文学网TCMs face European ban in April
来源：百度文库 编辑：神马文学网 时间：2024/04/29 11:53:07
TCMs face European ban in April
08:40, December 07, 2010 
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stumbleupon Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) are just months away from seeing the implementation of a European ban that will drastically limit their distribution and may put certain retailers out of business.The European Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products was passed in April 2004, but the effects were delayed. As of April 1 of next year, all herbal medicines sold in the EU will have to be licensed.
To license their medicines, TCM distributors will have to prove that their products have been used for at least 30 years, including at least 15 in the EU community.
Some industry insiders in China are decrying the move, saying it is unfair and without merit.
Man Fong Mei of the UK Chinese Medicine Council told the Global Times that the EU herbal directive discriminates against medicines used outside of traditional non-European medical systems.
And he expects the situation to worsen as the EU cracks down on processed herbal products.
An alternative, he said, is to try to amend the EU directive and go through the judicial review of the directive to have the law changed.
A staff member at the foreign affairs office of Beijing-headquartered Tongrentang - a premium TCM brand and the biggest producer of TCM products in China - told the Global Times anonymously that the group has been doing what it can to conform to the new directive.
The staff member declined to comment on the difficultly of registering herbal medicines in the EU.
However, Xu Ming, who works on the import and export of medicinal products for the China Chamber of Commerce, said Monday that "Chinese TCM producers have difficulties obtaining proofs to meet the EU's requirements, since many products have long been exported through the country's healthcare companies."
"And it costs about 1 million yuan ($147,000), on average, to register a single product. Considering the big financial cost, most TCM producers are reluctant to apply for a license," he said.
By the end of 2008, TCMs had been introduced to more than 160 countries and regions around the world. Last year, exports totaled $1.46 billion, People's Daily reported last month, citing figures released in August by the Ministry of Commerce.
However, no TCM products have gained medical status in the EU and US markets. Instead, TCM products have long been sold in the form of food, healthcare products and supplements - which will all be illegal in the EU as of April.
TCM products have also faced tough restrictions in the West, particularly in the form of the "green trade barrier," which blocks more than 60 percent of TCM imports, according to industry figures.
By Guo Qiang, Global Times
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