Through a large number of clinical trials over the past 3 years, researchers from the CAS Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM) have developed a new cardiovascular drug with a definite effective component extracted from Dan Shen (Saliva miltiorrhiza), a medicinal herb widely used in China.
It is confirmed to be safe and effective. On May 25, a New Drug Application (NDA) of depsides salts from Salvia miltiorrhiza and its preparation for the potential treatment of chronic angina obtained State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) approval.
Dan Shen (or Chinese Salvia) is a renowned Asian traditional herb, used for centuries to support cardiovascular health. Based on its extract, many pharmaceuticals have been developed in China. For instance, more than three billion such injections are used annually as an alternative approach to treat cardiovascular patients. But until recently, due to a lack of understanding of its efficient components, it is difficult to control the quality of the medicine.