Macao taps advantages to help TCM go global

Macao's unique advantage in Chinese medicine research and its close connection with the international market are helping traditional Chinese medicine go global, according to officials and industry insiders.

Ho Iat-seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, said that Macao is facilitating the global outreach of Chinese medicine products, because medicines recognized in Macao are more easily acknowledged in Portuguese-speaking countries due to "certain legal similarities".

With the objective of strengthening the TCM industry, and thereby reducing its dependence on the casino industry, the Macao SAR government established the Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau in 2022. The same year, it implemented a regulation on the registration of proprietary Chinese medicine products.

Ho said that TCM products registered with the bureau have already been recognized in countries such as Brazil, with several approved for registration overseas.

As of September, Macao had received 314 applications for the registration of proprietary Chinese medicine products, 78 of which have already been approved. The approvals have facilitated the registration of 24 Chinese medicine products in Portuguese-speaking countries.

Chan Kam-tat, founder of Healthy Life, a pharmacy chain in Macao, said: "Macao is a great platform to help TCM go global. The SAR government has brought Chinese medicine to Brazil, and I believe it will enter more countries."

The University of Macau's Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences has completed around 20 studies on the quality standards of TCM products. Many of the standards have been incorporated into pharmacopoeias in countries in Europe and the Americas.

Li Peng, deputy director of the institute, said the internationalization of TCM can drive development of the industry, and selling Chinese medicine products overseas can also become one of the key reasons for mainland companies to register new drugs in Macao.

The Southeast Asian market is another promising choice due to its large population of Chinese people, who inherently trust Chinese medicine, Li added.