The drug, named Celebrex, was imported with the approval of the State Drug Administration (SDA).

Tang Fulin, member of the Chinese Medical Association (CMA) and professor at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said that China has more than 100 million sufferers of both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Statistics show that about one half of Chinese people over 50 have osteoarthritis and over four million people suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.

Before the go-ahead from the SDA, rheumatoid experts in 14 well-known hospitals in China organized a clinical trial for the drug, which has been the largest ever clinical trial performed in the country.

Traditional medicines against arthritis may result in side effects such as damage to the stomach, intestine, liver and blood.

Celebrex is said to have limited such damages to human body.

(21DNN.com 01/11/2001)