Eight government departments, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, have issued the "Implementation Plan for High-Quality Development of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry (2026-2030)." The plan emphasizes empowering the research and development of new TCM drugs through next-generation information technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data. These tools will be used to construct knowledge graphs and graph neural networks for classical prescriptions and experienced formulas from renowned TCM practitioners.

The plan also calls for strengthening basic research in the TCM field and advancing regulatory science for TCM. It highlights the need to enhance technical support for pharmacological studies, establish multi-omics integrated analysis platforms, and improve in vivo and in vitro evaluation systems to increase research precision and efficiency.

Key technological breakthroughs in TCM drug development will be encouraged, leveraging public service platforms such as national manufacturing innovation centers, industrial technology infrastructure platforms, and pilot-scale manufacturing facilities. Efforts will focus on addressing technical challenges in efficacy component identification, formula optimization, druggability evaluation, and dosage form design, starting from clinical syndromes and therapeutic properties.

The plan supports innovation and improvement of already-marketed TCM products to enhance their efficacy. It also encourages research on the utilization of "non-medicinal parts" of medicinal herbs to improve resource efficiency. Clinical institutions are urged to conduct trials for new TCM drugs, fostering an open collaborative system for TCM R&D to accelerate discovery, reduce development cycles, and lower costs.