The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of a traditional Chinese medicine called Lianhua Qingwen. The capsule is used in China for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with mild to moderate symptoms.
According to the Chinese Embassy, the medicine is also approved in other countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, and Canada. China hopes that the said medicine will help in eradicating the virus in the Philippines.
However, the FDA has pointed out that it has approved the medicine as a traditional medicine and not as a medicine for COVID-19 or other diseases. It is also approved as a prescription drug which means that a prescription from a doctor is required before taking it.
The FDA has reiterated that there is no approved COVID-19 cure or vaccine yet and has warned about buying products that are labelled as such. – Report from Sandra Samala
