Kuwait Is First Foreign Country to Sanction Chinese Medicine Lianhua Qingwen as Covid-19 Treatment
Liao Shumin
DATE:  Sep 04 2020
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
Kuwait Is First Foreign Country to Sanction Chinese Medicine Lianhua Qingwen as Covid-19 Treatment Kuwait Is First Foreign Country to Sanction Chinese Medicine Lianhua Qingwen as Covid-19 Treatment

(Yicai Global) Sept. 4 -- The Kuwait government has rubber stamped a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of Covid-19 in the first international endorsement of its kind, the drug’s producer Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical said today.

Lianhua Qingwen, a patented traditional Chinese medicine that is widely used in China to treat patients suffering from the novel coronavirus, has been certified by the Pharmaceutical and Herbal Medicine Registration and Control Administration of Kuwait for the treatment of symptoms caused by Covid-19, Yiling Pharma said.

The capsules will be registered as a drug that can be used to treat symptoms including fever, cough, sore muscles, blocked nose, runny nose and headaches caused by viral diseases including seasonal influenza, influenza, Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome as well as mild and moderate cases of Covid-19, the Shijiazhuang, northern Hebei province-based firm said.

Lianhua Qingwen, which is known to have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties, is already licensed to sell in several overseas markets including Brazil, Indonesia, Canada, Romania, Thailand and Singapore.

The herbal drug is made up of a number of plants well-known for their medicinal value including Lonicera japonica and Fructus forsythia. Another ingredient, Pogostemon cablin, is used to stop diarrhea and to treat viral infections of the gastrointestinal tract.

Lianhua Qingwen has surged in popularity since the Covid-19 outbreak. Last year the herbal medicine accounted for 29 percent of Yiling Pharma’s total revenue, amounting to CNY1.7 billion (USD249 million). Sales in the first half have already reached CNY2 billion, making up 45 percent of the company’s total revenue stream.

Overseas sales only account for a small part of the firm’s earnings and do not have a significant impact on the company's performance, Yiling Pharma said.

The firm’s subsidiary has recently obtained Conformite Europeene certification from the European Union for its disposal medical masks, allowing the product to enter the EU market.

The company's stock price [SHE:002603] closed down 1.8 percent today at CNY28.91 (USD4.23).

Editor: Kim Taylor

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Keywords:   Lianhua Qingwen Capsules,Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co.