Traditional medicine enters UK OTC market

The first traditional Chinese medicine to obtain market approval from the United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency can now be sold over the counter in the country.

The medicine, Phynova Joint and Muscle Relief Tablets, was developed by Phynova Group, a life sciences company in Oxford, England. An announcement outlining the MHRA's approval was made on Monday at the GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai.

The move marks a significant development in the MHRA policy. It is the first time that the European Union's Traditional Herbal Medicinal Product Directive, introduced in April 2004, has successfully been used to register a TCM product in the UK.