Is traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) effective for HIV/AIDS treatment? Is there any criteria to be used to evaluate the effectiveness? Wang Jian, member of the National People's Political Consultative Conference and standing deputy director of the TCM Center for AIDS Prevention and Treatment (TCMCAPT) of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS), stated that the effectiveness evaluation criteria for HIV/AIDS treatment with TCM will be issued in 2008. The feelings of patients after taking TCM will be included in the criteria.

Wang Jian emphasized that ART mainly targeted AIDS patients, while TCM could play a key role in treating HIV infection in early phase. Currently, TCM has proved effective in improving the life quality of AIDS patients and alleviating clinical symptoms.

Wang Jian demonstrated that the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine started to organize experts to develop the effectiveness evaluation criteria for HIV/AIDS treatment with TCM since 2007. The basic framework has been finished recently. Many previous effectiveness evaluation criteria for TCM have been completely based on the biological indicators of western medicine. In addition to above mentioned biological indicators, the new effectiveness evaluation criteria will include a measure scale of the improvement of symptoms and signs as well as the feelings of patients, intend to reflect the effectiveness of TCM completely.

As introduced by Wang Jian, some private TCM doctors distributed free TCMs in areas where a large number of AIDS patients existed and alleged TCM as an effective therapy for HIV/AIDS. Although relevant departments had no means to judge the effect of medicine distributed by these doctors, the new effectiveness evaluation criteria will also be applicable to private TCM doctors. These criteria will be used for clinical studies. If these criteria are to be used for R&D of new drugs, tests for safety and virulence must be performed under the procedures for examination and approval of new drugs.

(Source: www.chinanews.com.cn)