Oldest makers of traditional Chinese meds to set up shop in RP

HONG KONG — China’s oldest and biggest manufacturer of traditional Chinese medicines will open pharmaceutical stores and clinics in the Philippines next month as part of its overseas expansion program.

But in doing so, TongRenTang intends to push for the regulation of herbal medicines now flooding the Philippine market.

Founded in Beijing in 1669, TongRenTang used to be the sole supplier of herbal medicines to the royal court during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

In 1954, the company answered the call of China’s central government and applied for joint state-private ownership — "the principal form of state capitalism adopted during the socialist transformation of capitalist enterprises in China" then.

At present, the government owns the company. TongRen was taken from the Book of Changes, a Confucian classic, meaning "harmonious and selfless" and "treating others equally."

According to Henry Tay, one of the investors of TongRenTang in the Philippines, the company now has branches in 20 countries, and the Philippine market is their next target.

By next month, Tay said TongRenTang would open its first store and clinic in Ortigas complex in Pasig City. And within the next five years, the company intends to open another one in Metro Manila, and one each in Cebu, Baguio and Davao to the tune of P50 million in initial investments.

TongRenTang has 1,500 herbal products being sold in its stores. It also operates clinics where acupuncture, spa and other therapeutic and wellness services are available.

But in investing in the Philippines, TongRenTang will also push for the regulation of the herbal products now being sold in many parts of the country, particularly in Manila’s Chinatown straddling Sta. Cruz and Binondo districts.

Tay said that many of these products are unregulated and they are giving traditional Chinese medicine a bad reputation.

He claimed that China is now very strict in herbal products as it adheres to "quality manufacturing practices" which pertain to internationally recognized standards in manufacturing herbal products.

"In the past, there were many unlicensed manufacturers but everything has changed. Since 1987, it has been regulated in China. Our government is now strict when it comes to medicines being sold in the market," Tay added.

Tay assured that they would bring well-trained Chinese doctors from China to perform services in their Philippine outlets to ensure the quality of care. They will be assisted by interpreters.

Initially, the company will bring 100 herbal medicines to the Philippines, including the Weilibang, the herbal Chinese version of Viagra, a male potency drug.

Tay said they expect the Philippines to become a valuable market for TongRenTang because of the growing popularity of traditional Chinese medicines among Filipinos. The company is also banking on the presence of two million ethnic Chinese in the country.

Tay added that unlike modern or Western physicians, traditional Chinese doctors use a holistic approach in treating a patient.

"Chinese doctors look into the whole body system to find out what caused a particular problem or sickness. If your liver has a problem, maybe there is problem in other parts of the body that caused this condition. Chinese doctors try to find out what is causing the problem," he said.

TongRenTang intends to coordinate with the Chinese embassy in the Philippines and the Department of Health about its proposals.

"Hopefully, they’ll accept our suggestion. We want herbal products being sold in the Philippines to undergo quality control for the protection of the patients," Tay said.