Emergency use authorization (EUA) for a traditional herbal formula for treating COVID-19 has been extended until June next year, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said yesterday.
The ministry has extended the EUA for Chingguan Yihau (清冠一號), also marketed as Respire Aid and NRICM101, to give pharmaceutical companies time to complete clinical trials and obtain a drug permit before the authorization expires, Hsueh said.
Hsueh made the remarks at the Taipei Traditional Chinese Medicine International Forum, hosted by the National Union of Chinese Medical Doctors’ Association, where Vice President William Lai (賴清德) said he had taken Chingguan Yihau when he contracted COVID-19.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi , Taipei Times
Lai said that he was not eligible for antiviral drugs, but felt that his respiratory symptoms were greatly relieved by taking the herbal medicine.
More than 1.5 million people have taken Chingguan Yihau for COVID-19 and many still take herbal medicines to relieve their symptoms after an acute infection, association chairman Chan Yung-chao (詹永兆) said.
The number of estimated Chinese herbal medicine users has increased by 40 percent to about 8.15 million people in 2021, he said.
Hsueh said that traditional herbal medicines would be included in the ministry’s drug shortage reporting system as early as next month.
The Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法) requires pharmaceutical firms to report shortages of drugs to the Food and Drug Administration, but as drug shortage reports are now being reviewed by the ministry, it would include traditional herbal medicines in the system, he said.
The supply of herbal medicine ingredients has been affected by global political and economic events, so Taiwan must re-evaluate the situation and, hopefully, establish a self-sufficient supply chain through cross-ministerial cooperation or with New Southbound Policy countries, he said.
Separately, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 8,869 new local COVID-19 cases, 12.1 percent fewer than on Sunday last week.
It also reported 224 imported cases and 39 deaths.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), who is also the CECC’s spokesman, said that as daily local caseloads have remained at a low level, the next phase of easing the mask mandate for healthcare facilities and at public transportation venues is expected to be discussed in the middle of next month.
Regarding whether more people might report infections this week to receive COVID-19 insurance compensation before it becomes invalid, as mild cases would no longer be required to be reported or enter quarantine from Monday next week, Lo said he expected some slight fluctuations.
However, as no new subvariants of SARS-CoV-2 have been reported recently, daily case counts are not expected to increase by much, he added.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS