[Searching a new approach for drug discovery based on Chinese medical theory]

Chinese medicine stresses the proper use of drugs on conformable patients, and real clinical efficacy of a drug could reveal only in case of the specific indication has been established. The clinical trial in early stage is aimed to find out the efficacy concerning positive or negative factors by comparing the differences between the cases treated effectively and ineffectively. The subsequent clinical trials are carried out to determine the exact effectiveness of a drug based on the establishment of specific indication. The effect of a drug would be elevated following the clearly qualifying of its specific indication. When a new scope is defined for the clinical application of a drug, it could be considered, to a certain degree, as a kind of "new" drug, so, it was suggested that to clarify the specific indication of an existent drug is a new approach for drug discovery.