PhytoHealth, ITRI and Kaohsiung Medical Hospital developing anti-HCV herbal medicine

Taiwan institute develops Chinese medicine against hepatitis C

2011/05/11 Taipei, May 11 (CNA) A Taiwan research institute has successfully developed a drug that contains Chinese herbal extracts used for treating hepatitis C and it is now in phase II clinical trials, a Ministry of Economic Affairs official said Tuesday. The new drug not only inhibits hepatitis C virus activity, but can also boost the immune system, the official said. It was developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute, based on the properties of traditional Chinese herbal medicines that modulate the immune system. The Department of Health has given approval for clinical trials of the drug and it is currently in phase II testing at Kaohsiung Medical University's Chung Ho Memorial Hospital, according to the official. The processing technology has been transferred to PhytoHealth Corp., the first drug development company in Taiwan to list on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The hepatitis C virus is spread through contact with infected blood, and about 170 million people worldwide are infected with it. Currently, there is no vaccine against the virus. It is not yet known how the hepatitis C virus damages the livers of long-term carriers, but the risk of people with hepatitis C developing liver cancer is 10 times higher than normal, particularly if the carriers also drink alcohol.