The story of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Traditional Medicine announcing that it has just successfully researched the COVID-19 treatment drug Sunkovir, which has traditional medicine origins, has attracted special attention from the community.
Use medicine early to limit worsening
Dr. Truong Thi Ngoc Lan, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Traditional Medicine, said that with the nationwide circulation registration number granted under Decision No. 82/QD-YDCT, this can be considered the first medicine of traditional medicine origin allowed to treat COVID-19 in Vietnam up to now.
According to Ms. Lan, Sunkovir was born after a process of both research and epidemic prevention based on long-standing experience in treating with traditional medicine combined with practical basis according to patient symptoms and according to the Ministry of Health 's Guide No. 1306 on strengthening the prevention of acute respiratory infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 with medicine and traditional medicine methods. The drug has been officially recognized by the National Council of Medical Ethics of Vietnam for its safety and effectiveness with 8 clinical and preclinical studies. The studies have also been published in world scientific journals and more than 400 international newspapers in English, Chinese, French, German, and Japanese.
According to Dr. Truong Thi Ngoc Lan, this medicine is derived from ginseng, which is a detoxifying agent and is used to treat colds, especially in patients with weak immune systems. The main ingredients of the medicine are completely herbal.
Leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health visited the GMP-WHO standard traditional medicine production line of the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Traditional Medicine.
In terms of use, Sunkovir treats COVID-19 patients from the early stages, mild to moderate. Patients who are newly infected with the disease, taking the drug reduces the risk of becoming seriously ill. Through clinical trials, more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients who took this drug did not become seriously ill.
The drug is indicated for use in cases of diseases caused by respiratory viruses (flu, mild COVID-19) in the initial stage to quickly reduce symptoms: cough, fever, shortness of breath, loss of smell, loss of taste, nasal congestion, body aches, muscle aches, sore throat, nasal discharge, headache, weakness, chest pain, sneezing, chills, hoarseness, sweating, drowsiness. The drug can be combined with the basic regimen of modern medicine such as antipyretics, anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers, cough medicines, antibiotics (if necessary).
Experts see this result as encouraging the Vietnamese oriental medicine industry to continue contributing valuable herbal products to the community. With a long tradition of using oriental medicine to treat diseases, the Vietnam Oriental Medicine Association with nearly 70,000 members who are oriental medicine practitioners from central to local levels is conducting various studies to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of oriental medicine prescriptions currently used in Vietnam.
"This is an encouraging and proud achievement of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Traditional Medicine on the journey of applying traditional medicine in preventing and treating COVID-19, as well as affirming the value of the country's traditional medicine on par with advanced modern medicine, with enough reach to reach the world" - the leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Traditional Medicine emphasized.
Application of modern technology in drug production
In addition to the birth of Vietnamese-branded traditional medicine to treat COVID-19, the traditional medicine industry has another good news: for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City, a world-standard traditional medicine production line has just been launched. This traditional medicine production line using modern technology, meeting GMP-WHO (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards, was invested in and developed by the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Hospital and has been certified by the Department of Traditional Medicine Management - Ministry of Health.
Dr. Do Tan Khoa, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Hospital, said that almost all localities in the country have Traditional Medicine Hospitals, but this is the first time in the Traditional Medicine network that there is a Pharmacy Department that meets GMP-WHO standards. "To meet GMP-WHO standards, we have invested in infrastructure, machinery, equipment and human resources. The Department has 40 pharmacists, many of whom are good at both modern medicine and Traditional Medicine. Our goal is to expand the supply of medicines and medicinal herbs to other hospitals and the market," Dr. Khoa informed.
According to Dr. Khoa, the hospital is producing more than 50 traditional medicine products and more than 240 medicinal herbs from high-quality, standardized medicinal herbs, many of which are present in the traditional medicine system nationwide. With GMP-WHO standards, the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Hospital will strictly control from the stage of selecting raw materials to the stage of producing and preserving standard output products, avoiding risks of cross-contamination, microbial contamination, confusion during the production process, and ensuring safety in production operations.
"The hospital is building a comprehensive and sustainable development strategy. From developing traditional medicine combined with modern medicine, building and developing specialized medical services including: stroke recovery, skin care, acupressure massage to restore health, drug production and preparation..." - Dr. Khoa said.
Assessing the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Hospital for its thorough and professional investment, Dr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, said that when this production line comes into operation, it will produce quality traditional medicine and prescriptions, in addition to serving the health care needs of the people, it will also create conditions for the development of traditional medicine in the whole country.
"The Department of Health expects the Traditional Medicine Hospital to continue researching the combination of traditional medicine and modern medicine in medical examination and treatment. This will also be an important premise for the development of Vietnamese traditional medicine, contributing to promoting the field of traditional medicine to domestic and international tourists" - the leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health emphasized.
Treat COVID-19, seasonal flu with Traditional Medicine
In order to update knowledge on prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and seasonal flu using traditional medicine combined with modern medicine, contributing to the construction and development of Vietnamese traditional medicine, the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Association in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Traditional Medicine organized a scientific conference in 2023 with the theme "Effectiveness of traditional medicine products in prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and seasonal flu".
At the workshop, experts will present scientific reports on research achievements, practical applications and summarize valuable experiences in treating COVID-19 patients and seasonal flu. The program will take place from 8 am to 5 pm on April 25 at the Institute of Traditional Medicine (273 Nguyen Van Troi, Ward 10, Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City).
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