A pharmacist makes the herbal decoction of the Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) at a pharmacy in Suihua, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 25, 2021. (Photo by Zhang Tao/Xinhua)

China's drug authorities have approved three Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medicines designed for COVID-19 treatment to go public after they played important roles in effectively reducing the incidence rate of the disease and speeding up the recovery of patients. 

The National Medical Products Administration gave the approval through a special and emergency response procedure, it said in an announcement published on Tuesday.

The three medicines to be listed are Qingfei Paidu Formula, Huashi Baidu Formula and Xuanfei Baidu Formula, ancient Chinese classical prescriptions that have antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and immune regulation functions. 

The launch of the medicine will provide more options for COVID-19 treatment, said the announcement. 

Huang Luqi, head of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, also noted that the launch marks a new starting point for the inheritance, innovation and development of TCM, indicating that TCM theory, clinical treatment efficacy and scientific data used in the fight against the epidemic have been fully recognized.  

All three medicines were widely used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in China, especially in the early stage of the outbreak.

Qingfei Paidu Decoction was recommended by the State Health Commission and State Administration of TCM for the treatment of various types of patients throughout the country on February 6, 2020. It was the first prescription that authorities promoted nationwide and also the most widely used one during the anti-epidemic battle in Wuhan. 

The effectiveness of Huashi Baidu Formula and Xuanfei Baidu Formula have also been proven to block the progression of the disease and improving symptoms, especially in shortening the course of the disease after a long-term clinical observation.