The difficulty in manufacturing such medicines locally due to restrained access to medical formulas and materials, also contributes to the popularity of imported Chinese patented medicines, Liew said.
However, despite overseas consumers' increasing passion for TCM, only three titles of Chinese patented medicines manufactured by Chinese pharmaceutical companies have been recognized as drugs in the European Union.
In the United States, the corresponding number is zero, although a dozen TCM drugs are undergoing clinical trials, according to Yu, TCM department director with the industry chamber.
Among main TCM export items, including extracts and raw materials, Chinese patented medicine exports delivered the strongest rebound in 2017, increasing 11.03 percent in value from 2016.
Exports of TCM extracts swelled 4.33 percent year-on-year by value in 2017.Extracts, often used as ingredients to make cosmetics and food supplements, usually take up the largest portion of TCM exports.
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