NSW Government establishes Joint Chair in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Premier Morris Iemma has announced the establishment of a Joint Chair in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) during a trade mission to Guangdong, China in November 2007. The Joint Chair, to be held by the Universities of Sydney and Western Sydney, will help build the scientific evidence base for TCM. It will also strategically position NSW to attract national and international funds for research and clinical trials in complementary and integrative medicine and associated manufacturing opportunities.

The Premier also announced a new partnership between NSW and China to research and develop traditional Chinese medicines for the multi-billion dollar complementary medicine market. The Australia-China Centre for Research in Chinese Medicines, a joint collaboration between the University of Sydney and Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, will undertake research in Chinese medicines, with a focus on treating major diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

NSW Government delegates subsequently attended the TCM International Science and Technology Cooperation Conference in Beijing in late November 2007. Opened by China’s Vice-Premier Wu Yi, a key outcome of the conference is an international partnership and research collaboration to advance the evidence for safety, quality and efficacy and address policy and regulatory issues affecting integration of TCM with other medical practices. This follows the commitment of $450 million in 2006 by China to internationalise its traditional medicines.

In June 2007, The Hon Verity Firth, NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research, also announced a NSW Government commitment of $600,000 towards the establishment of the National Institute of Complementary Medicine, to be located at the University of Western Sydney. The State Government funding helped accelerate the establishment of the Institute, supplementing the $4 million committed by the Commonwealth Government.

Other NSW Government initiatives on complementary medicine research include co-hosting of the Complementary Medicine: Future Directions Forum in November 2006 with the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Western Sydney (COMPLEMED) and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

An audit of complementary medicine research activity and capacity within NSW was also undertaken by the State Government in 2005.