FOX SPORTS — All eyes on the United States as Chinese firms push herbal medicines to sell on the international market.
On Tuesday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will allow Chinese companies to produce herbal medicines and inject them in patients without the need for prescriptions.
The decision comes after more than a year of delays.
FDA has not issued a ruling on whether China can import prescription medicines, but it said that the country can “offer a variety of formulations” to supplement existing medicines.
According to the FDA, the Chinese market is ripe for these products.
Chinese firms have already offered dozens of products, ranging from cough syrup to probiotics to anti-diarrheal agents.
In 2016, the FDA approved a variety made from the botanical cannabis, and in May, a Chinese company called Nanjing Health Technology announced a range of oral drugs that are said to have a high content of natural ingredients.
China has been exporting more than 2.6 billion kilograms (5.5 billion pounds) of prescription drugs a year, according to the CDC, but the U.S. has been slow to follow suit.
“It’s not the FDA that’s making these decisions, but rather the U,S.
government.
And they’re doing it to prevent the Chinese companies from abusing their markets,” said Tom Beeson, executive director of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
“We’re still a long way from China getting all of these products, but at least they’re starting to address these concerns.
It’s a win-win for consumers and a win for the industry.”
The FDA has approved a total of 890 products containing herbs and botanicals in the past two years.
Of those, the most popular is the herbal remedy Ayahuasca, which is grown in Peru.
Its popularity has led some manufacturers to import it from South America, where it’s been available for decades.
The company behind the Ayahuacas products said it will start producing it in the United State in 2018.