A new Chinese medicine for treating lung cancer officially entered the market on Sunday and promises new hope for patients, researchers have said.

 

After clinical trials on hundreds of patients the medicine, approved by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), has proved to be more effective than chemotherapy in controlling tumors, strengthening the immune system, prolonging life and improving life quality, said Pu Bingkui, chief researcher of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.

 

If the herbal drug was applied in conjunction with chemotherapy it could reduce the toxicity of the chemical agents to the alimentary tract, blood, liver and kidneys, Pu said.

 

The treatment comes in a dry granule, which researchers say can best preserve the biological quality of the natural Chinese medicine.

 

Chinese medicine has fewer side effects in treating tumors and is relatively inexpensive, said She Jing, director of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is promising to find a role for Chinese medicine in the treatment of such illnesses.

 

Lung cancer is one of the top causes of death in China. It affected about 500,000 people last year and the number is growing by 26.9 percent annually. It's estimated China will have 1 million new lung cancer patients each year by 2025.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2006)