Medicina Alternativa e Integrativa

The Method of Research Subject Chosen and Clinical Orientation in the Secondary Development of Famous and Excellent Chinese Patent Medicines

Abstract

Shang Hongcai

Secondary development of famous and excellent Chinese patent medicines is one of the principal pathways for significant new drug creation. A well-chosen topic for in-depth study and a more precise definition of the drug’s medicinal uses and indications play a decisive role to successful drug redevelopment. The author puts forward a four-step method of “grasping the baseline information of target diseases and related Chinese patent medicines, choosing an initial research topic and orientating the medicine in question to a specific clinical use, analyzing the scientificity and risk of the study and making a strategic decision for the research”, followed by explanations and illustrations in a specific case study.