Japan's largest producer of herbal medicines, Tsumura & Co, intends to break into the Chinese market from 2006. It will start with the sale of four medicines, similar products of which are difficult to find in China, according to Nikkei. They include drugs used to control convulsions and to activate liver functions.
Its joint venture Shanghai Tsumura Pharmaceuticals will handle local production and clinical trials. The company is also building a plant to produce herbal medicine materials for the Japanese market.