CHINESE drug removed from ‘dangerous drugs’ list
IT was worth the wait. After several public hearings, discussions and thorough evaluation, the Dangerous Drugs Board’s (DDB) Committee on Reclassification recommended and resolved, under Regulation 1 Series of 2021, to remove Lianhua Qingwen capsules from the list of dangerous drugs for one year pursuant to section 93 of R A 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002.
This means that Lianhua Qingwen capsules will not be in the list of dangerous drugs for the next 365 days. This also means that Filipinos can now buy Lianhua Qingwen capsules without the need for a prescription from an S2-licensed doctor.
Not all doctors are allowed to order dangerous drugs and they need an S2 license to do that. An S2 license is issued only to physicians, veterinarians or dentists who are registered with the Philippine Drug enforcement Agency (PDEA) to be able to prescribe such regulated drugs.
The DDB regulation takes effect 15 days after publication, which in this case is March 12, 2021.
Surge in Covid-19 cases
of Lianhua Qingwen from the list of dangerous drugs, even for only a year, was welcome news. The nation currently faces a surge of Covid-19 cases, which reached a record high of 7,999 last March 20, 2021, then broke that record when the 8,000mark was breached two days later with 8,019 new cases.
Family clustering was observed to be among the culprits, which prompted the government to adopt a “bubble” concept that clustered the National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal and Laguna and called it “NCR Plus.” This means only authorized persons can do essential travel in and out of these areas, and the imposition of a uniform region-wide curfew from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am for a period of two weeks.
The effectiveness of the reclassification of Lianhua Qingwen comes at a time where all the help is needed to curb the surge and bring it down to more manageable levels. The herbs in Lianhua Qingwen are traditionally used to clear windheat from and detoxify the lungs, thereby treating cases with fever, sore throat, cough, stuffy or runny nose, aversion to cold, muscle soreness, headache, wheezing—symptoms that are present in a person with Covid-19.
Philippine Archipelago International Trading Corp., Lianhua Qingwen’s exclusive Philippine distributor, is also seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reclassify Lianhua Qingwen as over-the-counter (OTC) capsules.
Lianhua Qingwen, the first traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) registered as a herbal product in the Philippines and manufactured by Yiling Pharmaceutical of China, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last August 2020 to cater to Filipinos with mild or moderate symptoms of the dangerous Covid-19 disease.
Widely used in China, Lianhua Qingwen was made available in the country through the partnership between Yiling Pharmaceutical and its exclusive distributor in the Philippines, Philippine Archipelago International Trading Corporation.
Lianhua Qingwen capsules can now be dispensed with a doctor prescription at a retail price of P288.00/ box (24 capsules/box), and available in all Mercury Drug Store branches nationwide and other drug stores.
Rory Visco