Following the election we wait to hear from the incoming administration about the progress of our statutory regulation. We are hopeful for an early steer on this as, before the election, both the Conservative and the Liberal Democrat shadow health ministers were most supportive of our move to statutory regulation.
We understand that it will take a few weeks for them to get their feet under the Ministerial table after which we expect to have some positive news.
Thank you to all of you who signed our e-petition at the Number 10 website calling for the regulation of Chinese herbal medicine. This petition is now closed.
With a new Government in place, a review is taking place of e-petitions. E-petitions which were live at the time of the election announcement on 6th April when the
e-petitions system was suspended, which includes the RCHM's petition, will not be re-opened, but all e-petitions that had exceeded the 500 signature threshold as of 6th April 2010 will receive a response.
The RCHM's petition had received a total of 1,496 as of 6th April and so will be responded to.
The RCHM may resubmit our petition, if necessary, when the e-petitions system when it is launched later this year.
In the mean time, please continue to support our campaign to help save herbs and the practice of herbal medicine in the UK. You can help by becoming a Fan of the Facebook campaign page and asking your friends and family to do the same.
Thank you.
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Bill Gates gives £7m to anti-malarial herbal research
Research into the herb Artemesia annua, or Sweet Annie has been boosted by £7m by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. The anti-malarial drug artemisinin is derived from the herb and research into a fast-track breeding programme in on-going at the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP), part of York University's biology department. Malaria kills more people than any other disease in the world.
| The herb is also known as Sweet Wormwood, or qinghao, and was used by Chinese herbalists in ancient times to treat fever, but had fallen out of common use, to be rediscovered in 1970 when the Chinese Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency Treatments (340 AD) was found. This pharmocopeia contained recipes for a tea from dried leaves, prescribed for fevers (not specifically malaria). In 1971, scientists demonstrated that the plant extracts had antimalarial activity in primate models, and in 1972 the active ingredient, aremisinin (formerly referred to as arteannuin ), was isolated and its chemical structure described. |
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Because of increasing resistance to cheaper drugs such as chloroquine, fifty-one countries use artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) for treating malaria. The cost of production is high, however, because the yield in Artemesia annua is low even in the best varieties, and the rapid adoption of ACTs has created a shortage, which has driven up the price of artemisinin.
CNAP aims to create new, non-GM Artemesia annua cultivars with increased yield of artemisinin to reduce the cost and secure a supply, making combination therapies cheaper and accessible for people who have malaria.
"Malaria is robbing Africa of its people and potential," Mr Gates said. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting three international projects over five years.
Approved Suppliers Scheme gains new member
The RCHM's Approved Suppliers Scheme has gained a new member, bringing the total number of suppliers participating in the scheme up to ten. The scheme was launched in 2004 and is the only one of its kind in the UK.
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Tony Booker, President of the RCHM said "We are delighted that the scheme has taken off in such a positive way. Members of the RCHM using Approved Suppliers can be assured that their herbal supplies have come from a reputable source, from a company that has committed itself to a programme of quality development." |
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The MHRA (formerly MCA) have welcomed the RCHM initiative to create this list and have indicated that they are keen to work with the RCHM and its members to make sure that the scheme continues. Chinese herbal medicine has been hampered in recent years by incidences of poor practice and the Approved Suppliers Scheme is part of restoring public faith in what is an extremely effective and safe form of medicine, when practiced correctly.
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