Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is presenting the world with an extract from the flowering Chinese licorice plant (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) as a potential cure for COVID-19. The root extract is a flavonoid called "liquiritin." An initial, non-peer reviewed study by researchers in Beijing claims liquiritin was shown to prevent the rapid replication in monkey cells of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the virus that causes COVID-19. In TCM, liquiritin is usually processed and sold as herbal licorice tablets, and is also widely used as a sweetener. It's also commonly used for gastrointestinal and respiratory problems.

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The past few weeks have revealed the worst and the best in human responses to the coronavirus crisis – from the supermarket hoarders clearing the shelves to the neighbourhood groups organising help for elderly and vulnerable people. When it comes to the pharmaceutical companies, how should we judge their response? They, after all, hold the key to ending the pandemic. Yet in one vital respect their behaviour has more in common with the supermarket hoarders than the neighbourhood groups. Our exit strategy from the global lockdown depends on the development of an effective vaccine, as is well-known.