The traditional Chinese medicine Lianhua Qingwen will be given to patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Makati City, the local government unit (LGU) of Makati City said on Monday night (Aug. 17) after 10 boxes of the medicine were donated anonymously to the city government of Makati.
The donations will be given to around 1,400 COVID-19 patients in Makati City, the LGU added.
Mayor Abigail Binay personally accepted the donations which were coursed through National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., who was tasked by President Duterte to oversee and help Makati with its COVID-19 situation.
He and other Cabinet members were assigned to monitor Metro Manila and Luzon COVID-19 hotspots.
The Makati Health Department, according to Binay, will determine the patients to be given the Chinese medicine.
According to the Chinese Embassy, Lianhua Qingwen is used to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in China.
"I am very thankful to the donor of the 10 boxes of Lianhua Qingwen which will help in the recovery of the COVID-19 patients or help reduce their symptoms," Binay said.
Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Lianhua Qingwen, but only as a traditional medicine and not for COVID-19 treatment.
According to the "pharmacologic category" stated on the FDA-issued certificate of product registration, the Chinese medicine is mainly used for the treatment of "heat-toxin invasion of the lungs, including symptoms such as fever, aversion to cold, muscle soreness, stuffy and runny nose."
As of Aug. 17, the MHD has recorded 2, 878 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the city, 1, 157 of which are active cases.