China National Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd, or Sinopharm, announced on Thursday the official market launch of a Chinese patent medicine called Huashi Baidu Granule for the treatment of COVID-19.

The medicine was one of three Chinese patent medicines derived from traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions and got the nod from the National Medical Products Administration in early March. The three TCM preparations have proven effective in treating COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, Hubei province last year, and were included in the national guidelines for the treatment of the disease.

Sun Da, deputy head of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said the market approval of the three Chinese patent drugs for treatment of COVID-19, including Huashi Baidu Granule, represented the recognition of the clinical efficacy and accumulation of scientific data of TCM in the treatment of COVID-19, and marked another achievement of TCM development.

Huang Luqi, president of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, said the market launch of the medicine marked a milestone in TCM-based treatment review and approval reforms while respecting TCM theories and rules.

Liu Jingzhen, chairman of Sinopharm, said the company will fully support the production of the drug to realize its large-scale output and supports TCM to play a distinctive and important role in responding to new and major public health events.