Guangdong-Macau TCM industrial park engages Brazil on possible integration into public health system

Brazil’s national public health system, which provides free medical care to more than 200 million people, is exploring the integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), with the Guangdong-Macau Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology Industrial Park involved in regulatory discussions.

The Guangdong-Macau Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology Industrial Park Development Co., Ltd. was invited to attend a seminar hosted by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) on May 22, according to a news release from Macau Investment and Development Co., Ltd. (MID).

Zhang Haihong, director and CEO of MID, said at the opening ceremony that Brazil has already established a legal foundation for TCM entry.

“Brazil has officially recognized the standards of the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China and has legislated to regulate acupuncture practice,” Zhang said, according to the release. “This creates a historic opportunity for TCM to enter Brazil.”

He added that the industrial park has built a global TCM service trade network connecting Portuguese-speaking countries, the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and North and South America through its three core pillars of international registration, international trade, and international education and training.

The seminar focused on integrating traditional medicine into Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS), which is responsible for national public procurement and public medical services. Discussions covered the inclusion of TCM in public procurement processes and potential market access pathways under different regulatory categories.

According to the release, the meetings aimed to align with Brazilian regulatory rules and standards and to facilitate pathways for TCM and related health products entering the Brazilian market.

The engagement follows a previous memorandum of cooperation between the industrial park and the Brazilian Federal Pharmacy Council.