TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —The National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine has established an online form for the public to check the availability of publicly funded NRICM101, a Taiwan-developed herbal medicine for treating COVID-19, at local Chinese medicine clinics.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ying (陳瑩) held a press conference at the country’s legislature on Monday (May 23) to announce the availability of an online form that provides a list of traditional Chinese medicine clinics across the country where the herbal medicine is available as well as the amount clinics have in stock, CNA reported.

Currently, eight pharmaceutical plants in the country have been authorized to manufacture NRICM101, and they all attended Monday’s presser to express their commitment to ramping up the production of the herbal medicine to meet the demand that has been driven by the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

Chen said that NRICM101 has been in great demand as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has plateaued. However, she pointed out that many COVID-19 patients have had difficulty finding Chinese medicine clinics where the herbal drugs are available and that many traditional Chinese medicine doctors could not prescribe the herbal medicine to their patients due to shortages.

The lawmaker said she had on many occasions asked the Ministry of Health and Welfare to solve the NRICM101 supply problem. Chen added that the information about the availability of NRICM101 provided in the form is updated on a rolling basis.

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